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 Japan were satisfied with their New Zealand holidays
in 2011/12, rating them 8.9 out of 10 on average. This is a
significant improvement on the previous year and is driven
primarily by higher satisfaction rating for activities. This level
matches the overall satisfaction rating for all markets.
Visitors from Japan were most satisfied with the New Zealand
environment (rated 9.1 out of 10) and the activities they did while
in New Zealand (rated 8.7 out of 10). The area where Japanese
visitors were least satisfied was food and beverage which was given
an average rating of 7.7 out of 10. The low score that food and
beverage received was primarily as a result of price (6.9 out of
10) as opposed to quality of food and beverage (7.9 out of
10).
In terms of determining overall satisfaction, activities are the
most important components of a visit for all the Asian markets of
Japan, Korea and China, making up 34 per cent of overall
satisfaction. The next most important determinants of overall
satisfaction were the environment at 22 per cent of overall
satisfaction and accommodation which made up 18 per cent. This is a
significant change to last year where it was experiences of
i-SITES, and food and beverage that were the second and third more
important determinants of satisfaction.
For further information on the Japanese market download the Japan VEM market
summary below.