The guidelines were developed in consultation with adventure activity experts
New adventure tourism safety guidelines have been introduced for canyoning, caving and indoor rock-climbing operators following a review of safety in the sector. But operators will not have to adopt the voluntary guidelines unless they elect to undergo an external safety audit, which will not be compulsory until new regulations are fully implemented by the end of next year. The guidelines were developed by the Tourism Industry Association after the Government launched a review of risk management and safety in the outdoor and adventure tourism sector in 2009.
New adventure tourism safety guidelines have been introduced for canyoning, caving and indoor rock-climbing operators following a review of safety in the sector. But operators will not have to adopt the voluntary guidelines unless they elect to undergo an external safety audit, which will not be compulsory until new regulations are fully implemented by the end of next year. The guidelines were developed by the Tourism Industry Association after the Government launched a review of risk management and safety in the outdoor and adventure tourism sector in 2009.
The review followed a series of high-profile outdoor adventure tragedies which sparked calls for greater safety in the industry.Currently, adventure tourism operators have to comply with health and safety requirements, but until now there have been no national guidelines for canyoning, caving and indoor rock-climbing. Safety audits remain voluntary, but will become compulsory under regulations passed in 2011 which require require operators to be audited and registered by November next year. The guidelines were developed in consultation with adventure activity experts, with funding and support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The association was still developing guidelines for other activities including heli-skiing, quad biking, abseiling, high wires, ziplines, and bridge and canyon swinging.
