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Environment
Visitor Experience Monitor Summary
The Visitor Experience Monitor shows that nearly all of our international visitors leave New Zealand saying the natural environment has met their expectations.
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2007/08 was the second year in which the Visitor Experience Monitor sought to determine whether environmental issues and practices are influencing the purchasing decisions of our international visitors. The research provides basic benchmark for measurement in terms of how environmentally sustainable New Zealand appears in the eyes of our international guests.
Exceeding Expectations
The research shows that international visitors to New Zealand leave saying the natural environment has met (35%), or exceeded (63%) their expectations.
Only two per cent thought that New Zealand's natural environment was worse than they had expected.
High Expectations for Sustainability
While our natural environment is delivering very well against visitor perceptions and prior expectations, international visitors still have high expectations of New Zealand products and services and the environmental practices implemented by operators.
Seventy-two per cent of international visitors said they thought that New Zealand's environment appeared to be managed sustainably. Seventy-one per cent of international visitors said they thought that tourism in New Zealand appeared to be managed sustainably.
While most visitors are satisfied with New Zealand’s natural landscapes and clean environment, a small proportion perceive there to be environmental issues in New Zealand. The main issues identified by visitors surveyed are lack of recycling facilities (37%), rubbish/litter (36%) and a decline in natural resources (31%).
Impact of Environmental Issues on Participation
Overall, when visitors were asked how much environmental issues impacted on their decision to participate in various New Zealand experiences, environmental issues influenced a significant number of visitors.
When comparing visitors’ views on environmental issues for accommodation, transport and activities, it was more likely that environmental concerns would impact on decisions relating to activities. This may be due to activities being optional holiday experiences in comparison to transport and accommodation, which means visitors have more freedom to choose environmentally friendly operators.
Mitigating Environmental Impact
When offered the opportunity to mitigate environmental impact, 54 per cent of visitors said they would be willing to pay more for activities if they knew it would help to minimise impacts on the environment, while 37 per cent would pay more for transport and 38 per cent would pay more for accommodation.
While these findings are an interesting indication of visitor intentions, whether perceptions translate to actual behaviour has yet to be measured.
Recycling was the most common environmental practice visitors expected of activity (78%) and accommodation (82%) businesses. Over 80 per cent of visitors expected transport operators to provide fuel efficient vehicles.
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