Visitor Satisfaction

Each year Tourism New Zealand commissions independent research to gain a sense of how satisfied our international visitors are with the experience New Zealand provides.

Making sure that international visitors have an enjoyable experience is the 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 us to other people or return for a second visit themselves.

Our satisfaction research looks at which aspects of their New Zealand holiday visitors enjoyed the most. We can use this information to improve the experiences and products we offer to visitors.

Overall Experience
Of our visitors from the United Kingdom, 96 per cent were highly satisfied with their visit to New Zealand and 98 per cent are likely to recommend New Zealand as a holiday destination. Of those 98 per cent, 88 per cent would be active advocates for New Zealand.

Overall, visitors from the UK are more satisfied with all aspects of New Zealand than any other visitors. The New Zealand natural environment and landscape rates highly among this group, with an average rating of 9.6 out of a possible 10 for satisfaction. New Zealand’s weather and urban environment rated lower but these results need to be taken in context with consideration to the reasons visitors from the UK choose to come to New Zealand.

The Environment
74 per cent of visitors from the UK said the New Zealand environment exceeded their expectations; 79 per cent thought that the New Zealand environment appeared to be managed sustainably.

Planning and Information Sources
Visitors from the UK take more time to make the decision to come to New Zealand than other travellers, with 47 per cent making the decision six months before their arrival.

Our consumer website, newzealand.com, is an important tool for planning and choosing a holiday to New Zealand. Visitors from the UK also rely more on guidebooks and friends/family as sources of information than visitors from other countries.

Accommodation and Transport
Backpackers/hostels, hotels and motels are the accommodation options used most by visitors from the UK. Visitors who used Qualmark as a guide when choosing accommodation were more satisfied than those who did not.

Travellers from the UK most commonly used rental cars, coaches and campervans for getting around New Zealand.

Activities
The following activities are those which visitors from the UK describe as highly satisfying, and that are important to a visitor’s overall holiday: