Delivered by Ingenta to: University of California San Diego IP: 146.185.206.200 On: Mon, 22 May 2017 10:01:49 Article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale. Please use proper citation format when citing this article including the DOI, publisher reference, volume number and page location. Tourism in Marine Environments, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1–15 1544-273X/16 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/154427316X693199 Copyright © 2016 Cognizant, LLC. E-ISSN 2169-0197 www.cognizantcommunication.com 1 Address correspondence to Michael C. Shone, George Forbes Memorial Building, Room 706, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand. Tel: +64 3 423 0497; E-mail: Michael.Shone@lincoln.ac.nz strategy to legitimize nature protection (Zachrisson, Sandell, Fredman, & Eckerberg, 2006), the positive impact of conservation designation on tourist visita- tion is contested in the literature (e.g., Buckley, 2004; Hall, 2006; Selman, 2009). The body of research that investigates this relationship does so largely from a terrestrial, or land-based, perspective. Con- sequently, much less is known about the nature of the relationship between conservation designation and tourism in marine environments. This article addresses this research gap by report- ing on a case study that examined marine tourism perspectives on conservation designation in Akaroa, Introduction National parks and other protected areas have been designated for the purposes of nature preser- vation, tourists, and society for well over a century (Wall Reinius & Fredman, 2007). In many places, such areas have become tourism products that the industry promotes and sells as attractions to the extent that protected area designations (e.g., National Park and World Heritage Site designations) have become important in tourism promotion (Fredman, Fridberg, & Emmelin, 2007; Hunt, 2008; Palmer, 1999). While tourism can be employed as a key EXAMINING THE DESIGNATION EFFECT OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS: THE CASE OF AKAROA, NEW ZEALAND MICHAEL C. SHONE, STEPHEN ESPINER, AND EMMA J. STEWART Department of Tourism, Sport and Society, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand The designation effect of terrestrial protected areas (e.g., national parks) has an extensive literature; however, much less has been written about the nature of this effect in marine environments. This study therefore explores the relationship between marine conservation designation and tourist visita- tion in Akaroa, New Zealand. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a visitor survey (n = 106) and semistructured interviews with marine tourism operators (n = 12). The results indicate a moderate association between designation and tourist visitation with respect to the selection and purchase of marine tourism activities. In addition, the results identify areas of disagreement between the perspectives of visitors and marine tourism operators regarding the strength of this association. It is concluded that the conditions created by the designation exert a stronger influence over tourist visitation than the designation “label” itself. Key words: Marine; Protected areas; Tourism; Designation effect; Conservation; New Zealand