KEY POINTS:
The rape of a Dutch tourist in Southland has spurred the Netherlands Government to upgrade warnings to its people planning to travel to New Zealand.
The 22-year-old was attacked early last Thursday as she and her 25-year-old partner were sleeping in their stationwagon at the Five Mountains Holiday Park in Tuatapere, west of Invercargill.
It was the second rape of a visitor from Holland in two years.
A new heading - "Serious Crime" - has now been added to the New Zealand travel advice page on the Dutch Government website.
Translated, the page says although serious crime does not happen often, the number of robberies is increasing and campers are being targeted.
The advice warns campers to use official camping sites and not to park up in the "wild". It mentions both attacks.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossar said New Zealand was still a relatively safe destination for tourists, despite the attacks on Dutch tourists.
"The great majority of visitors to New Zealand enjoy their time here and, like the general population, are not affected by crime," Mr Cossar said. "However, visitors should be cautious wherever they are. As part of their preparation for any trip, they should do some research so they know what to expect."
He said the New Zealand tourism industry valued the 25,700 Dutch visitors who came here last year.
"They are among our longest-staying and highest-spending visitors so we don't want to see the dangers blown out of proportion."
Mr Cossar said the tourism association recommended that tourism operators also give advice to clients about how to be safe, such as not walking alone at night, keeping vehicles locked and valuables out of sight.
Tourism New Zealand spokeswoman Cas Carter said the warning was fair.
The number of Dutch visitors to New Zealand dipped 2.5 per cent in the year to last November, according to statistics from Tourism New Zealand. That followed a 2 per cent drop between 2006 and 2007.
However, it isn't only the Dutch numbers that are down.
For example, the number of visitors from the United Kingdom was down 3.4 per cent in the year to November, although in the previous year it rose 1.4 per cent.
