NZ is safe and scenic but our prices are too high, say some tourists

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

On average, overseas visitors gave their holiday here a score of 9 out of 10, and 80 per cent were likely to recommend New Zealand as a destination

New Zealand's scenery and safety rated highly in a survey of international visitors, but there were gripes about high prices. .

British and American tourists loved us most, while visitors from Japan and Korea gave us the lowest overall ratings.

About a third of visitors rated our food and beverage outlets at 7 or less out of 10 and price was their pet peeve.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) survey of 27,000 overseas visitors over a three year period showed most were highly satisfied.

But some felt food and beverage, accommodation, activities, and commercial transport were too expensive.

MBIE's tourism spokesman Paul Stocks said that given the unprecedented growth in tourism, and public debate about impact on the environmental standards, the results were a pleasant surprise.

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'When you get 96 per cent of people saying their trip met or exceeded their expectations, that's huge. The average rating for an experience was 9 out of 10.'

Feedback from the tourism industry showed real concern that pressure on infrastructure and the environment could have a negative impact on visitor ratings, but that had not been the case.

With almost 5m visitors expected by 2025, Stocks said the survey results would help track any changes and highlight areas for improvement.

Visitors were asked for reasons when they gave ratings of 7 or less out of 10.

When it came to food and beverage outlets almost a quarter said they were too expensive.

Others referred to poor quality food, limited choices, and the failure to cater for vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or halal dietary requirements.

Lack of free internet, poor cleanliness and old facilities were the main criticisms levelled at accommodation, and there were calls for more free campsites for non-self-contained vehicles.

Hosted accommodation where people stayed with friends and family, at bed and breakfasts, or home stays rated tops.

Backpackers received the lowest average score for any type of accommodation with a rating of 7.9 out of 10.

Stocks said higher prices were to be expected as demand for accommodation outpaced supply, but it was important visitors got value for money and did not feel ripped off.

'We don't want to get a reputation as being too expensive to come to.

'We've seen a bit of a spike in demand and would expect that to smooth out as new supply comes on stream.'

Hospitality New Zealand policy and advocacy manager Dylan Firth said adjusting to the higher expectations of overseas visitors took time.

'In the past it was mostly domestic visitors wanting to get pretty casual fare in the local a cafe.'

'The lower ratings are coming from Japan and Korea where there's huge access to a really wide range of high quality food because of the numbers of people there.

Thirty per cent of visitors had come to New Zealand on the recommendation of friends, family or colleagues, or by reading about the country on social media or blogs.

Stocks said New Zealand was often viewed as a 'premium' holiday place because of its isolation, and maintaining high quality was critical to keeping that reputation through word of mouth referrals.

The MBIE report said several international studies had linked overcrowding, and related litter and noise problems, to a dip in satisfaction levels.

But the relationship was not clear and it was possible younger people were more resilient to overcrowding than older visitors.

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