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A worrying increase in kickback schemes involving Asian coach tour operators could be eroding the quality of tourism experiences in Queenstown and Arrowtown, it has been claimed.
Business and tourism leaders in both centres told the Otago Daily Times the practice was back after a lull of several years, blaming the return in part to the growth of the Chinese coach tour market.
The practice involves drivers and tour guides delivering tour groups to a preferred business for shopping, if that business agrees to pay a share of the sales proceeds to the driver or tour operator.
In some cases, tourist destinations - including Arrowtown's historic Buckingham St - were skipped completely, as tour operators whisked their passengers on to preferred retail destinations elsewhere, those spoken to claimed.
"Do I know it happens? The answer would be yes, and that's true of a lot of tourism companies," Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Christie Clark said when asked about kickbacks yesterday.
"Am I surprised? The answer would be no."
Detective Sergeant Grahme Bartlett, of Queenstown police, said the practice was not illegal, and only one case - which also involved separate civil matters - had been brought to his attention two years ago. No charges eventuated.
However, business and tourism leaders spoken to were concerned the kickbacks could be hurting the tourism industry.
"It's generally been one of those unspoken-about issues in tourism," Destination Queenstown chief executive David Kennedy said.
"It's of concern because generally we like to operate in a free market." "From the visitor's perspective it doesn't necessarily get them the best experience, because they are not living in a free market either."
Kickbacks were more common 10 years ago, when South Korean and Japanese visitor numbers were stronger, but China was now "well documented" as being a difficult new market, "particularly in terms of issues like that", Mr Kennedy said.
Arrowtown Promotion and Business Association chairman Jono Palmer said some Chinese tour groups seemed to be prevented from visiting certain shops on the town's main street, or were forced to skip the street completely. "I know it goes on."
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
