Tourism New Zealand has a responsibility to lead by example when
it comes to helping meet visitor expectations of our environment
and living up to the 100% Pure New Zealand promise.
There are a number of ways we're involved, from tracking visitor
satisfaction with our environment and culture, to supporting
Qualmark and Qualmark Green in our work on and offshore, and
helping build the capability of the Māori tourism sector.
The New Zealand tourism industry needs to protect its core
tourism products - our environment and culture - if it is to
continue to be a major contributor to the New Zealand economy.
As the marketing organisation for New Zealand, Tourism New
Zealand has an important role to play. It's all about living the
100% Pure New Zealand promise, and what better place to start than
within the organisation.
Promoting Māori tourism
With culture the second greatest motivator for choosing New
Zealand as a holiday destination, Tourism New Zealand needs to have
the skills internally to deliver the Māori cultural component of
the 100% Pure New Zealand message, and help the industry deliver on
this aspect of the brand.
Tourism New Zealand has an ongoing commitment to building
internal capability in Te Reo, knowledge of tikanga (Māori values)
and our understanding of Māori tourism products. We integrate
aspects of Māori culture into the daily life of the
organisation.
Read more
about our work in this area.
Qualmark ambassadors
Qualmark is New Zealand tourism's official quality accreditation
system. Tourism New Zealand supports Qualmark because it provides a
framework for the industry to deliver quality and meet visitor
expectations.
Qualmark-rated or endorsed businesses across the country are
assessed annually on their service, facilities, business systems
and environmental performance. This helps build robust tourism
businesses that are more likely to be successful and deliver
satisfying experiences to visitors.
Since 2008, these assessments have also looked at performance
against a number of responsible tourism criteria. This part of the
programme, known as Qualmark Green, is helping set minimum
standards in environmental performance. Through the Qualmark
'Enviro Ratings' (read more in the Qualmark section of this website) it also
encourages businesses to perform above the minimum and rewards them
publically for their efforts.
Tourism New Zealand has been assessed as a Qualmark Endorsed
Visitor Service since 2009. In 2010 we achieved a Qualmark Green
Enviro-Silver rating. We are striving for Gold and working to
continually build on the environmental initiatives we have in
place.
We also support Qualmark in our work with the offshore travel
trade, to ensure they understand Qualmark and can recommend it to
their customers. And we help promote it to consumers through our www.newzealand.com website and through the
'100% Pure Assurance' marketing campaign.
Read more about
Qualmark.
Showing the world
Through our marketing of New Zealand internationally, Tourism
New Zealand often highlights our performance as a responsible
tourism destination. Part of this is about helping attract the
right kinds of travellers: those who share our concern for the
environment and will respect New Zealand's landscapes, wildlife and
culture when they come here.
We do this through our international media programme -
highlighting eco-tourism products and conservation initiatives to
visiting media when they come here - and similarly through our
trade training and familiarisation visits. Tourism New Zealand also
makes sure we are on the nominee list for awards in this space and
works to gain publicity for any recognition we get on the
international stage.
Helping the New Zealand industry live the promise
We also work to promote responsible tourism to the tourism
industry where we can, through our presentations, publications,
online communications, including this website, and through our
support of Qualmark.
Tourism New Zealand's annual Visitor Experience
Monitor research incorporates questions relating to how
visitors perceive New Zealand's natural environment. This research
helps monitor how New Zealand is performing against visitor
expectations of our natural environment and provides an ongoing
track of environmental issues that are being raised by our
visitors.