Domestic visitors well satisfied - survey

New Zealanders rank a tourism experience in their own country very highly, as according to new research commissioned by Tourism Industry Aotearoa.

97% of the New Zealanders surveyed said their domestic travel experience had met or exceeded their expectations[1]. This is comparable to the 95.2% of international visitors who said their expectations were met or exceeded as measured by the Government’s International Visitor Survey.

In a separate question about satisfaction, overall domestic visitor satisfaction was 8.7 out of 10. And a very high Net Promoter Score of +71 was recorded – with 76% of Kiwis being promoters of their experience to others, with only 5% detractors.

The results indicate that New Zealand is performing well as a destination for domestic travellers.

Until now, there has been no publicly available data on how New Zealanders feel about travel within their own country.

TIA’s Domestic Visitor Perceptions survey was commissioned to monitor domestic travellers’ perceptions of their travel within New Zealand as a tracking mechanism for the Tourism Sustainability Commitment. The TSC uses international and domestic satisfaction as a key sustainability indicator.

The research also meets the needs of other organisations across the industry, such as regional tourism organisations, economic development agencies and individual operators.

The research was undertaken for TIA by Angus and Associates and will be conducted annually as an on-going industry measure. 4800 New Zealander travellers are included in the programme each year, and respondents must have travelled overnight within the last 12 months to participate in the survey, which is conducted online.

“This is vital information showing how Kiwis enjoy domestic travel, providing a barometer of the expectations and perceptions we have of travel in our own country,” says TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts.

“It is very positive to see that New Zealanders are enjoying our thriving tourism industry. We intend to continue with the survey and hope to see these numbers maintained or even improve. 60% of the total tourism spend in New Zealand is by domestic visitors, so it’s crucial that we deliver great experiences and meet or exceed Kiwis’ expectations.”

The survey also shows that more than two thirds of New Zealanders have travelled domestically for leisure purposes within the last 12 months, with 59% of domestic leisure travellers rating their last overnight trip 9 or 10 out of 10.

Read more details on the Domestic Visitor Perceptions survey here.

[1] 17% ‘much better than expected’, 30% ‘better than expected’, 50% ‘just as expected.’

ENDS

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