'Safe New Zealand' to get gentle promotion

By SIMON HENDERY

It seems like a panacea for an industry besieged by terrorism paranoia - two high-profile travel magazines touting New Zealand as the world's safest travel destination.

But Tourism NZ says it will only "quietly" promote the fact that readers of magazines Conde Nast Traveller and Wanderlust have voted New Zealand the safest country to visit.

Christchurch and Canterbury marketing chief executive Darryll Park said last week that the surveys provided an ideal base for building New Zealand's haven status after last month's US terrorist attacks.

After two years of strong growth in international visitors, tourism operators are braced for a 10 per cent fall over the next 2 1/2 months, with a resulting loss of about $300 million in foreign earnings.

But Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton said a marketing campaign based on safety would be risky, because it could backfire if tourists were involved in a tragedy.

But he said the surveys were particularly valuable for the safety-conscious Japanese market.