Tourists want to sniff out back route

By SIMON HENDERY

Overseas tourists are spending more time off the traditional beaten track of Auckland, Rotorua and Queenstown, according to new research commissioned by Tourism New Zealand.

Details of the ACNielsen study - which surveyed tourism operators, and past and potential overseas visitors - will be released to the industry today to coincide with the expansion of the Qualmark quality assurance scheme.

Qualmark, which has traditionally rated accommodation providers, is being expanded to include endorsements of visitor transport, activity and service businesses.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said one of the key findings of the ACNielsen research was that, while the country's attractions were what brought tourists to New Zealand, our reputation as a destination depended on the quality of the infrastructure that supported those attractions.

"Visitors can have the most amazing experience, but if the accommodation and transport are not up to standard, that is what they will remember. And that is what they will talk about when they get home."

Hickton said the goal of the expanded Qualmark system was to help visitors find and use professional tourism operators.

To receive Qualmark endorsement, operators will have to meet the organisations standards in a range of categories including customer service, safety, security and staff training.

Qualmark hopes to have about 3000 tourism businesses on its books within the next three to four years.

The new endorsement system has been reviewed and approved by the Consumers Institute and is supported by the Tourism Industry Association and the Inbound Tour Operators Council.

The ACNielsen study found tourists' interest in racing through the industry's traditional "golden route" to get a quick snapshot of New Zealand was waning.

They were more likely now to take a "go slow and savour approach", visiting fewer regions of the country but in more depth.

"Visitors want to have an authentic experience. They want to see and do things that they could not find anywhere else in the world," said Hickton.

"But more than that, they want to really get a feeling for the country, to feel like they have really got to the heart of its people, landscape and culture."