Visitor satisfaction with New Zealand remains high

Visitors to New Zealand rate their holiday experience 8.9 out of 10 in terms of satisfaction, according to the latest annual Visitor Experience Monitor (VEM) statistics just released.
The VEM covers the period July 2010 to June 2011. Around 4,500 international visitors that primarily came to New Zealand for a holiday or to visit friends and relatives were surveyed for their satisfaction levels.

Tourism New Zealand, the organisation marketing New Zealand as a destination to international visitors, said the results were pleasing.

"The results are pretty much in line with recent years', and show that overall New Zealand tourist operators deliver to a high standard," said Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.

"They also show that satisfaction with New Zealand's environment remains high, rating
9 out of 10, and the activities that people complete while here are rated 8.9 out of 10.

"Almost all visitors (96 per cent) stated that they are likely or very likely to recommend New Zealand to others, while 97 per cent also said they had spoken of or written positively about New Zealand to others which reinforces how critical word of mouth is in marketing New Zealand."

But Mr. Bowler warned that there were also some slight decreases in satisfaction, and some lessons to be learned from the survey results.

"The overall satisfaction of all visitors with New Zealand remains pleasingly high. However, some decreases in satisfaction have also shown up in certain areas - for example 0.1 per cent decreases in satisfaction with accommodation, food and beverage, and activities. These are relatively small but worth noting.

"The decreases in satisfaction are related to the fact that international tourists are spending less time in New Zealand and participating in fewer activities while on holiday here. The activities international tourists do in New Zealand strongly influence satisfaction, so by participating in fewer activities our visitors are leaving New Zealand slightly less satisfied," he says.

This slight decrease in satisfaction was most notable with Australian tourists highlighting the importance of ensuring that New Zealand continues to attract the high-end Australian market that interacts and participates well within our tourism industry.

The survey also showed that New Zealand tourism operators have some work to do to satisfy the high expectations of Asian visitors, particularly those from China, Japan and Korea.

These Asian markets showed satisfaction levels below those of our traditional western markets, which include Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Germany.

The VEM sample consisted of 65 per cent holiday visitors and 27 per cent visitors who came here to visit friends or relatives. The remaining eight per cent of the sample were business, conference or education tourists who also had holiday components within their trip to New Zealand.