Recreational tourism injuries among visitors to New Zealand: an exploratory analysis using hospital discharge data

New Zealand Health Information Service (NZHIS) morbidity data for the 15-ye ar period, 1982-1996, were analysed to determine the role of recreational a nd adventure tourism in overseas visitor injuries, and identify recreationa l activities with greatest injury occurrence. Approximately 19 per cent of all injuries involved recreational/adventure tourism activities, correspond ing to 8.34injuries per 100,000 overseas visitor arrivals. This figure can be compared to that for motor vehicle traffic accidents (12), and suggests a significant recreational tourism injury problem in New Zealand. Injuries were concentrated in regions known to be major centres for adventure touris m in New Zealand, and were most commonly sustained by overseas visitors age d between 20 and 40 years. Tourist injuries were observed most frequently f or activities that involve independent, unguided recreation, notably skiing , mountaineering and tramping. Of the commercial adventure tourism activiti es, horse riding and cycling were the only significant contributors to over seas visitor injuries. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.