Visitor numbers peaked in 2019 with 870,000 visitors through Milford Sound, up from 430,000 in 2013 – which most agreed were simply unsustainable. “While Covid set back the numbers, we expect them to return because it is a rare opportunity to visit true wilderness,” Turner said. He stressed that the masterplan was a concept subject to detailed designs, business cases, and government approval, and that it would likely be four to five years before any of the ideas were realised. Complex conversations and negotiations with commercial operators lay ahead as the project moved into its implementation phase, he said. The decision to remove the airstrip was based on four factors, Turner said: the instability of the land under it, the cost of maintaining it, the fact that it took up a third of the flat land in Milford Sound, and that it blocked some of the best views of Mitre Peak.
Milford Sound to be transformed if plans approved stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Milford Sound master plan: Entry fee for overseas visitors? Wed, 28 Jul 2021, 2:22PM
Milford Sound is set for change, with the possibility of a ban on fixed-wing aircraft, overseas visitors having to pay to enter the area and a ban on cruise ships in the inner sound. (Photo / Supplied)
Milford Sound master plan: Entry fee for overseas visitors? Wed, 28 Jul 2021, 2:22PM
Milford Sound is set for change, with the possibility of a ban on fixed-wing aircraft, overseas visitors having to pay to enter the area and a ban on cruise ships in the inner sound.
The government has confirmed that work by an expert group into the future of Milford Sound will proceed to its next stage.
Hon Stuart Nash Hon Kiritapu Allan
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Proposal recognises Ngāi Tahu’s presence in and knowledge of the landscape
The government has confirmed that work by an expert group into the future of Milford Sound Piopiotahi will proceed to its next stage.
“The release of a new plan to address visitor pressures and safety at the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site in Fiordland marks another step to improved access and protection of this jewel in our tourism crown,” Stuart Nash said.
Electric or hydrogen powered buses proposed in a bid for a carbon zero Milford Sound stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.