German travellers tend to book flights six months to a year in
advance, booking accommodation and transport after they arrive in
New Zealand. Germans prefer to book through travel agents, although
booking direct and using i-SITE Visitor Centres are both popular
once visitors arrive in New Zealand.
The way people research and book travel has changed in the last
five years. Better access to broadband internet and the growth of
e-commerce have been major factors behind this shift in
behaviour.
Tourism New Zealand has conducted research into the way
consumers from our target market research and book travel in order
to ensure the most effective channel strategy. The research
surveyed travellers from Australia, the UK, US and Germany. Over 200 surveys were
conducted with those who visited New Zealand during November and
December 2008.
It should be noted that since the research was undertaken,
industry feedback suggests that visitors are now booking later
because of the economic downturn that hit in late 2008 and an
increase in special deals on last-minute travel.
How German visitors plan and book travel
Most consumers from our target market in Germany research
flights and transport six months to a year before arrival in New
Zealand, while accommodation and activities are researched much
later and often booked after visitors arrive in the country.
If done before leaving home, calling the provider direct after
an Internet search is the key method. They tend to use guidebooks,
online and i-SITEs to do their research.
If they do book accommodation and transport in advance, they
will do it early - at the same time as flights. They tend to call
providers directly or use a travel agent to book accommodation.
Travel agents are the most popular way of booking transport.
Before arrival in New Zealand, German visitors are the largest
users of travel agents for booking, although once in New Zealand
i-SITEs and visiting the provider directly are equally as
popular.
Read an overview of the
research
Read more about
Germany in the online market guide