Make tourists stay longer

By TOM CLARKE

Tourism is our fastest-growing industry, but we have to be wary of concentrating too much on numbers and not enough on the visitors' experiences, warns Chris Black, the new area general manager of international hotel and resort chain, Rydges Hotels and Resorts.

"Our industry has improved immensely since the 70s on the quality front, but there's still a long way to go. We should focus on getting visitors to stay longer and do and spend more.

"We want to get them back, along with their friends and families, and we want visitors leaving New Zealand vowing to come back not just for a holiday, but on business and for conferences and conventions."

Mr Black says we cannot sustain large numbers: "Our infrastructure, such as roading, and our resorts don't handle mass volumes well - we have too many bottlenecks.

"So, the economy of scale is for people to stay longer - three weeks, for example. That is more advantageous than having them in and out in only five or 10 days."

And there is plenty to hold tourists here for that long, especially if they experience both islands: "Most can spend five days in Queenstown and not even scratch the surface of what is available.

"To see as much as possible and to enjoy the experience, visitors need to allow plenty of time. There's not a lot of satisfaction for the tourist who's in and out in five days."

The declining dollar is making New Zealand attractive, with strong growth in "good quality tourism" from Britain, Europe and the United States. The Japanese and Asians market are also coming back with stronger spending.

While that means more tourists passing through Auckland will make a dent on the city's oversupply of hotel rooms, he doubts if it will ever be more than a transit spot, just like Christchurch is.

"Auckland does have a lot of attractions, such as the harbour. Nevertheless, it a gateway into New Zealand.

"While Queenstown might get two or three nights from a tourist, Christchurch and Auckland get them when they come in and go out.

"The image of New Zealand as a clean, green place means people want to get out [of the city] and see the sheep, the mountains and the snow. From a tourist perspective, our small population works. People like the wide open spaces."

Mr Black has had nearly 30 years in the tourist hotel industry working in major tourist centres, including Chateau Mt Ruapehu, Mt Cook, Te Anau, Milford, Wanaka, Wellington and Christchurch.

He joined Rydges 10 years ago as general manager at Queenstown and has been Christchurch general manager and South Island area manager.