Hon Damien O’Connor
Minister of Tourism Minister of Corrections Minister for Rural Affairs Associate Minister of Health

16 August 2006 Media Statement

Travellers having a good time in the regions

International and domestic travellers are highly satisfied with their New Zealand travel experiences, according to new data released today, Minister of Tourism Damien O’Connor said.

The Regional Visitor Monitor (RVM) shows overall satisfaction of international travellers at 8.3 out of 10 for each of the three reporting periods. For domestic respondents the results were 8.1 out of 10 in the last quarter.

“After three consecutive quarters of interviewing, clear trends are emerging,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Not only are the satisfaction results high, but they have been very stable from quarter to quarter. This is very positive for the industry as it looks to use the data for planning and decision making."

The survey covers visitor motivations and expectations, patterns of travel, transport and accommodation and activities undertaken.

"Despite the good results, such as international travellers being very happy with the friendliness of locals and New Zealand's scenic beauty, there are clear areas for improvement," Mr O'Connor said.

"Both international and domestic travellers are less complimentary about the service they have received than other aspects of their visits. Infrastructure and public amenities have also consistently been rated relatively low.” The benchmark data covers the period from November 2005 to June 2006 with 4,300 people interviewed.

The RVM is a partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism New Zealand and Regional Tourism Organisations for Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Canterbury, Queenstown and Dunedin. Other regions are expected to join the survey in future.

The National Benchmark Report is available from www.tourismresearch.govt.nz

ENDS

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