New Zealand's high international reputation "no surprise"

New Zealand's ranking as having one of the five best reputations in the world is well justified, says Tourism New Zealand.

Commenting on the release of the international CountryRep study, which placed New Zealand fifth reputationally in the eyes of the world's G8 nations, Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the recognition came as no surprise.

"We are delighted that New Zealand's reputation ranks highly amongst people of the world's leading eight nations, and it confirms that the way we've been promoting New Zealand internationally is spot-on. The findings underpin what we've been saying for more than ten years with the 100% Pure campaign effectively promoting the many unique aspects of the New Zealand experience."

Mr. Bowler said that the results were also supported by the 2011 Global Green Economy Index conclusion that New Zealand is the global best practice case for promoting green tourism. This in turn cemented last year's evaluation of the country being "the undisputed leader in the realm of promoting green tourism".

"Taken together, these independent findings endorse both our inherent values as a nation, and as a destination," said Mr. Bowler. "After one of the tourism sector's toughest years, it's great to receive acknowledgment from highly reputable independent organisations."

It is the first time New Zealand has been included in the annual Reputation Institute's research, which polled more than 42,000 residents from the world's leading nations.