The number of international visitors participating in arts
related activities has increased 5 per cent over the past year.
Museums and art galleries remain the most popular and most
satisfying arts related activities.
Participation
Visiting a museum or art gallery was the most popular
arts-related activity, with more than half (55 per cent) of
visitors surveyed including museums or galleries in their New
Zealand holiday.
Compared to 2007/08, there was a significant increase in the
number of visitors who participated in arts related activities. The
number of visitors enjoying arts and crafts was up 5 per cent to 31
per cent, and concerts, theatres, art, performing arts shows/events
was up 5 per cent to 14 per cent. Despite a slight decrease in
participation (down 3 per cent to 27 per cent) going to cinemas and
casinos remained popular.
Conversion of interest to participation is strong for most of
these activities, with most visitors who are interested going on to
participate in them. The only exception is concerts, theatres, art,
performing arts shows/events, in which case only 52 per cent of
those who are interested go on to take part in one of these
events/activities.
The strong conversion of interest to participation is generally
aided by low barriers to participation, particularly financial
costs. As entry/ticket prices increase, participation declines
accordingly, which is why concerts, theatres, art, performing arts
shows/events have comparatively lower conversion of interest to
participation than other arts activities.
Satisfaction
Museums and art galleries are the most satisfying arts
activities for our international visitors, rated 8.6 out of a
possible 10. More than half of all visitors visit a museum or art
gallery, which means this activity contributes strongly to overall
visitor satisfaction. Although there are high levels of
satisfaction with the quality of the experience (8.5 out of 10) and
service (8.6), it is the low or non-existent entry costs (8.7) that
drive overall satisfaction with museums and art galleries.
Satisfaction with concerts, theatres, art, performing arts
shows/events also rated highly (8.7 out of 10), despite a lower
participation rate compared to museums and art galleries.
Satisfaction scores were high across all three criteria: quality of
the actual activity (8.7), quality of the service (8.8) and price
(8.5).
Arts and crafts had a satisfaction score of 8.4, which is in
alignment with satisfaction for overall tourism activities (8.9).
Cinemas and casinos present a challenge with a satisfaction score
of 7.9. It is the quality of the activity (8.0) and quality of the
service (7.9) that contribute to the lower rating.