Each year Tourism New Zealand commissions independent research
to gain a sense of how satisfied our international visitors are
with the holiday experience New Zealand provides.
Making sure that international visitors have an enjoyable
experience is key to the future of the tourism industry. Visitors
that have the experience of a lifetime while on holiday in New
Zealand are more likely to recommend the destination to other
people or return for a second visit themselves.
Conducted annually, the Visitor
Experience Monitor (VEM) provides a benchmark for the New
Zealand tourism industry from which to improve the experiences it
offers visitors.
Summary
Visitors from the UK were extremely satisfied with their New
Zealand holidays in 2010/11, rating them 9.3 out of 10 on average.
This level of satisfaction was slightly up on the previous year's
rating of 9.2 out of 10 and was second equal with Germany as the
second most satisfied tourism market.
UK visitors were most satisfied with New Zealand's environment
(rated 9.2 out of 10) and the activities they did while in New
Zealand (rated 9.1 out of 10). UK visitors were least satisfied
with the food and beverage they received while in New Zealand (8.2
out of 10).
Visitors from the UK place a huge amount of importance on the
activities they do in New Zealand with this component of a trip to
New Zealand making up 42 per cent of their overall satisfaction.
New Zealand's environment also makes up a significant amount of
their satisfaction at 21 per cent of overall satisfaction.
In 2010/11 UK visitors differed from previous years in that they
spent less time in New Zealand and participated in fewer
activities; however they still spend longer in New Zealand and
participate in more activities than other markets.
The decline in activity participation is most likely attributable
to economic pressures in the UK and has been seen across all types
of activities, but in particular extreme sports and town based
activities.
For further information on the UK market download the UK VEM
Market Summary below.