Posts Tagged new zealand tour
How to Choose Hotel Accommodation in Auckland New Zealand
When choosing a hotel in New Zealand, a great starting point is to understand their star ratings. The Qualmark system in New Zealand and Australia has a star grading for accommodation and is New Zealand Tourism’s official mark of quality:
- Basic acceptance is that a 1 star will meet the customers’ minimum requirements – Basic, clean, and comfortable.
- 3 stars and the accommodation provider provides a range of facilities and services and achieves a good to very good quality standard.
- The highest standard is 5 stars and is considered to be amongst the best in that country.
The AAA (US) rating system applies a similar method and rates accommodation on a one to five Diamonds scale. Many Hotel providers also use a “self rating” system and this shouldn’t be taken as a negative in most cases. Larger Hotel chains have developed their own rating systems that accurately reflect what options are available for each of their resorts.
Star ratings can be a good guide for pricing, but should not be the sole decider, when choosing your Auckland hotel.
It is expected that a 1 star Hotel room will be cheaper than a 5 star. But for those 2, 3 and 4 star hotels, specials, last minute offers and specific locations can lead to a 2 star hotel being more expensive than a 4 star. For example, a 3 star hotel located in Auckland city centre, could charge more than a 5 star hotel an hour out of town. This needs to be kept in mind when choosing a place to stay, but don’t let price be your indicator of quality and comfort.
With cost in mind, think also about what your stay is intended for.
If you are visiting friends or family in Auckland, then try to consider your choices based on location. Meaning that you can get to (and leave as quickly) your guests location without any major requirements or inconveniences to them.
If your travel is for business, do you really need to be located in the city?
Unless you can walk to your meetings, maybe a hotel at Auckland airport will suit your purposes better. Just like any other day, you will be heading into work for 8-12 hours and should have no real need to return to your hotel room throughout the day.
With it’s international airport, Auckland has a plentiful array of hotels and offerings for travelers. Hotels near the airport tend to cost less than those in the central business district and cater predominantly to business people. You will also avoid having to get up hours earlier than needed. By staying close to the transport hubs you avoid the need to allow additional time for delays and traffic jams prior to departure. Plus most Airport hotels provide a free shuttle service. One thing we have also noted is that the staff in Airport hotels take wake-up calls seriously – They know the importance of these calls and the consequences. So unlike many other stays, I have never missed a flight (due to a missed wake up call) when staying at an Airport Hotel.
It is a good idea to also list in writing, what you want in a hotel stay. Quality ratings are a good indicator of comfort, but do you want to pay for options you know you probably won’t use? Most websites will list all the amenities such as 24 hour reception, mini-bar, room service, valet, laundry etc. Compare these offerings and if you find you’re paying 20-30% more for the use of a gym or sauna (that you probably won’t use), then theses savings are worthwhile.
Finally, decide on what your budget is and stick with it. Search online and try last minute accommodation websites which offer great discounts for those travelers wanting to book at the last minute. But don’t always just take the hotel rate into account when deciding as there may be some inclusions on offer. These could include free breakfast, a drink voucher and discount tickets to local attractions or free parking. If you are traveling with kids serviced apartments have become popular choices because of the kitchen facilities and the ability to cook your own food and thus save money. Also consider taking smaller more frequent breaks as apposed to a long getaway.
Tags: accommodation, airport hotels, attractions, auckland, auckland new zealand, hotel, hotel accommodation, hotels, new zealand, new zealand tour, new zealand tourism, resort, resorts, tourism, travelRelated posts
New Zealand Tours for You to Choose From
Are you interested in taking a romantic getaway to New Zealand? If you are, have you started making your travel arrangements yet? Even if you have made your travel arrangements or your overnight accommodation reservations, have you planned out the activities that you would like to participate in while in New Zealand? If you have yet to do so, you may want to take the time to examine some of the many New Zealand tours available for you and other tourists to take.
If you are looking for an adventurous New Zealand tour, but also one that is relaxing at the same time, you may want to think about taking a New Zealand whale watching tour. New Zealand is well-known for their whales and other amazing marine animals. What is nice about New Zealand whale watching tours is that you often have a number of different options to choose from. In addition to traditional boat tours, you can also schedule a New Zealand tour that allows you to go whale watching from the air.
Another type of New Zealand tour that you may enjoy is a traditional hiking tour. New Zealand hiking tours are not only exciting and adventurous, but they are also beautiful beyond what words can explain. The New Zealand terrain is one of the best in the world for hiking tours. In addition to taking a traditional New Zealand tour on foot, did you also know that you could do more? It is also possible to take a New Zealand tour on an off-road vehicle. Off-road tours are the perfect way to turn an otherwise casual scenic tour into an unforgettable adventure.
One New Zealand tour that you may want to consider taking is one that is relativity unique, but one that you will never forget. As it was previously mentioned, New Zealand is well-known for its vast array of landscape. That landscape also includes caves. It is possible to find a New Zealand tour, in fact a number of them, that allow you to tour the caves of New Zealand, some of which are underground. In fact, you can do more than just explore caves on a New Zealand tour, but you can also enjoy a cave rafting adventure!
The above mentioned New Zealand tour types are just a few of the many that you will find waiting for you in New Zealand. In addition to choosing which type of New Zealand tour or tours you would like to take, you also have a choice when it comes to making your reservations. If you have yet to book your travel arrangements, including your overnight accommodation options, you may want to look into making your reservations in the form of a New Zealand tour package. For instance, if you were interested in taking a whale watching tour, your package could include a few days of whale watching, as well as overnight accommodations at a nearby hotel or resort.
When it comes to choosing a New Zealand tour to attend, it is advised that you first examine all of your options. When doing so, you may find yourself wanting to make reservations for more than one New Zealand tour.
Tags: accommodation, hotel, new zealand, new zealand tour, new zealand tour package, new zealand tours, resort, tours, travelRelated posts
Adventure Tourism in New Zealand – Understanding the Risk Profile
New Zealand deservedly has a reputation as a tour destination that offers some of the best and most accessible adventure opportunities available. However, with adventure travel comes risk. Understanding this risk and how to manage it is the key to operating a quality adventure tour experience.
The increasingly sophisticated world traveler demands a level of authenticity and involvement in their travel that was not present in the past. This requirement puts demands on tour operators that have to be met but also carefully managed. In the case of adventure tourism, these twin requirements of authenticity and involvement lead to an inevitable risk profile associated with the provision of the tourism product.
It is not possible, nor desirable to eliminate all risk. The very essence of this mode of tourism is to provide the traveler with an experience outside his or her daily range, to push their limits. Elimination of the risk in the experience eliminates the authenticity and therefore the depth of experience the traveler is seeking. Having accepted that some risk is inevitable and desirable, it then becomes important to understand risk.
One of the huge issues with risk is that the public perception of a risk level is not closely related to the actual risk level. This point is currently being very clearly demonstrated in the media coverage surrounding swine flu. As of 16:00 GMT, 5 May 2009, 21 countries, including New Zealand have officially reported 1490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection with 30 confirmed deaths (source: World Health Organization). The disease has been met with blow-by-blow media coverage, detailing the possible spread of the disease and development into a pandemic. Public facilities have been closed, negative travel advisories have decimated local tourism businesses, and even the pig industry has suffered as people stop eating pork. Compare these figures with those for malaria, a disease that has been present for so long it is no longer news worthy. In 2006 there were 247 million cases of malaria, causing nearly one million deaths (source: World Health Organization). What is the current focus on malaria in the media even though it dwarfs swine flu by every measure? Clearly the issues of perception and reality don’t meet in this case. This is probably a lucky thing as if they did meet; most people would be too scared to drive to work.
How then does this relate to tourism in New Zealand? We have identified that risk is desirable and that the perception of that risk is highly subjective. In creating an adventure tour product, leveraging the issue of perception is very valuable. It is possible to create activities that have a genuine risk profile but are perceived to be much more risky than they actually are. We term this “psychological risk”.
A critical part of this process is to carefully manage this risk, so that the perception remains but the actuality is reduced. In New Zealand, the health and safety regulations along with the active involvement of many of the industry organizations helps tour operators understand risk and work to minimize risk factors. Thus the New Zealand tour industry has become highly proficient at offering a wide range of activities that offer a genuine sense of adventure while minimizing the true risk factors that might affect the adventure.
In summary, adventure tourism in New Zealand cannot and should not avoid all risk, but by careful management of the main risk factors, the risk that guests are exposed to in a well run adventure tourism activity can be minimized to a point where they are acceptable, even though the perception of that risk might well be significantly higher.
Tags: new zealand, new zealand tour, tourism, travelRelated posts