Queenstown confirmed as top destination

The Regional Visitor Monitor (RVM), a joint initiative between the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism New Zealand and six of New Zealand’s largest Regional Tourism Organisations, covering visitor motivation and satisfaction research released today confirms that Queenstown’s scenic beauty, cleanliness of environment, adventure and excitement remain key points of difference in motivating holiday travellers to visit the region.

Destination Queenstown CEO David Kennedy said the RVM data was still new, and although it was very encouraging to see Queenstown consistently rate well in key areas such as service and product delivery, the research would be of most benefit to Queenstown in years to come.

“Trends are emerging from the research, but it is not until we can compare year to year that we will be able to really break down the data to identify key strengths and opportunities, and in particular look at seasonal variations by market and segment.”

”Queenstown continues to meet expectations of the market in all areas of service delivery, from activity and attraction operators, to accommodation and retail. The research showed Queenstown was considered a safe and secure place to visit, had a clean and unspoiled landscape with friendly and welcoming people, adventure and excitement.”

”The research highlights that history, heritage and unique culture are areas for improvement and possible product development within the local tourism industry.”

Mr Kennedy said the research from this quarter revealed some new trends which will be keenly monitored over the next few years, adding “The survey showed that international visitors had a much longer length of stay for this quarter. This indicates a trend towards a stay-put holiday in town over the cooler months, compared to active travellers over summer that may be more inclined to travel around the country. In time, this market intelligence will be of use in planning and developing marketing strategies to achieve our goals of a higher yield in visitor nights.”

Mr Kennedy said Destination Queenstown was committed to a continued Regional Visitor Monitor, with the RVM designed to provide quarterly or seasonal ‘snapshots’, data for the RVM is collected by independent researchers who conduct interviews with international and domestic visitors in each of the six regions, with the regional results aggregated against nationwide results providing a national benchmark.

The third quarterly report released today includes results from April, May and June, 2006, with since the RVM began in November 2005, 839 interviews in the Queenstown region having taken place and the total number of interviews collected across all six regions totalling 4,338.

Report by The Mole