INSIDE TOURISM – EXPORT MATTERS
Its time to stop apologising for the value of the NZ dollar and what it use to buy. For much of yester year visitors to New Zealand have had great value and experienced the best we have to offer. Times and the dollar have changed so we now need to turn our single most negative barrier for visiting New Zealand into a positive one.
When kiwis travel overseas we know in advance that the NZ$dollar doesn’t (or didn’t) go very far in most countries. We know that in Asia, visiting Japan is more expensive than China, and in Europe, Germany is more expensive than Greece. The value of the dollar of whichever country we visit is not the primary motivator for travel and we accept that it will take longer and cost more. We choose the destination for a variety of reasons and if our expectations are met or exceeded, we don’t mind what we paid as long as we are happy with the value received.
Too often I hear ourselves justifying to customers our dollar. We literally apologise for the cost of the airfare, our food, wine and travel to and within New Zealand. It’s time we re-worked the marketing magic and perception from our dollar doesn’t go as far as it use to, to one of yes, it costs abit more to get here, yes it takes a little longer and YES it is totally going to be worth it!
For the past 100 years we have been a ‘cheap as chips’ premier destination which itself is a contradiction in terms. New Zealand is positioning itself as the ‘premier destination’ of the world, attracting high net worth luxury and business travellers. We aren’t trying to attract 15 million international visitors who may complain of cost. We are trying to attract visitors who respect the quality of the destination and the commitment to our culture and environment.
As kiwis have adjusted over the years to pay more to travel long haul, so too can visitors that choose to come to New Zealand but all have to be on the same marketing perception page. It’s time to stop apologising for circumstances beyond our control and promote our world class product and experiences in association with the value visitors will receive. Our airlines, airports, technology and produce consistently are judged by world standards and we are winners!
The biggest challenge is not convincing visitors to come but to deliver on their expectation. Let’s make sure the message sent by all tourism trade and other export sectors is one of quality – if quality is the message, value will look after itself.