Posts Tagged new zealand tourism

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.

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New Zealand Vacation

What do you know about New Zealand? If you are anything like me, you probably think of New Zealand and Australia the way I think of the United States and Canada – New Zealand is close to Australia, similar to it in many ways, but just not quite the same. I spent five months of last year in New Zealand and have now come to regard it differently. For one thing, I finally realize why it was chosen as the ideal location of Tolkin’s Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

New Zealand lies east of Australia and is situated in the South Pacific region. It is composed of two large islands, north and south. Its climate is mild and its scenery is simply breathtaking. New Zealand is also steeped deep in the tradition of the Maori people. Its major cities include Auckland (the capital), Wellington and Dunedin. Queenstown is acclaimed as one of its best destinations, an ideal place to ski that is peppered with magnificent slopes.

It is no secret that the Lord of the Rings trilogy gave the New Zealand tourism industry a major boost, what with the amazing scenery and sense of mystery and romanticism depicted in the films. The trilogy also gave movie-goers a glimpse of New Zealand’s many beautiful destinations. Today, the local businesses that helped transport the movie makers from one location to another have their hands full doing the very same thing to an ever-growing number of tourists, for a fee of course. And although curiosity about Lord of the Rings may have spurred many to visit New Zealand, once there most tourists are eager to see the rest of this beautiful country and take side-trips to visit the more exotic locales.

New Zealand is also an ideal destination if adventure is your cup of tea, especially for the younger travelers. For instance, Rotorua is acclaimed for its “zorbing,” which amounts to sliding into a giant hamster ball and rolling yourself down a hill. There are several whitewater rivers which tourists can challenge via jet-boat rides as well as tight canyons which make your boat hurtle at breakneck speed. If you have the guts, you might want to try jumping off the highest bungee jump in the world. Other locations like Waitomo offer huge caving opportunities, ranging from board-walked tourist caves to rappelling and sliding through mud and water to explore extensive underground labyrinths. Certainly, the New Zealand tourism scene has lots of opportunities for adventure, if you are so inclined.

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Sustainable Tourism in New Zealand

Ask any person on the street which industry earns New Zealand the most amount of money and 9 times out of 10 you are bound to hear ‘Dairy’. However a little known fact is that the dairy industry is second to the tourism industry in terms of earning foreign exchange.

In 2007, international tourists spent $8.8billion(1) on our shores. During the same time we exported $7.3billion(1) worth of dairy products. So if international tourists are so important to our economy, what does its future hold with the cost of air travel increasing and the need to reduce carbon emissions?

We are an isolated country and a long-haul destination from all of our major tourist markets baring Australia. It has always cost visitors more to get to us than other possible destinations. This limits the volume of people who are able to travel here. On top of this, add to the traveller’s decision process the impact of air travel on their carbon footprint and we have significant obstacles to overcome in our efforts to attract international visitors.

New Zealand has always had a ‘clean green’ image and the major attraction for international visitors is our array of unspoilt natural landscapes. This is the theme of Tourism New Zealand’s (TNZ) 100% Pure NZ marketing campaign. However many of the service providers that tourists use have not been living up to this ‘clean green’ image.

In order to minimise the carbon footprint international visitors create during their visit and help mitigate the environmental impact of their air travel to NZ, TNZ has identified the need for our industry to deliver a sustainable experience for our visitors. This has been outlined by TNZ and the Government in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 (NZTS 2015). Tourism relies more than any other sector on our countries continuing sustainability as a nation. This is because New Zealand itself is the product we are selling internationally. Sustainability involves delivering the maximum benefit – economic, social, cultural, and environmental – with as few unwanted effects as possible ensuring the future of the industry and our environment(2).

The most significant development our industry has had since the publication of the NZTS 2015 is the development of the world’s first integrated environmental performance and quality assurance system – Qualmark Green. Qualmark is TNZ’s official independent mark of quality and now every Qualmark accredited accommodation provider, visitor activity and transport provider, visitor service and venue is assessed on their environmental performance and required to meet a set of minimum standards. Those that excel receive either a bronze, silver or gold accreditation which they can promote alongside their quality rating.

Furthermore, the small South Island tourist town of Kaikoura (famous for whale watching) has been extremely proactive with regards to sustainability. In 2004 Kaikoura became the first local authority in the world to achieve Green Globe 21 Certification. Green Globe is a global benchmarking and certification process for sustainable travel and tourism. Kaikoura District Council created an environmental and social policy action plan using Green Globe’s guidelines, reduced its solid waste output through a zero waste scheme which has saved the district thousands of dollars, and introduced a carbon offset scheme to ensure that their carbon footprint is dramatically reduced. The certification has become a unique selling point for Kaikoura as a destination which has resulted in increased visitation.

Initiatives such as these show how New Zealand is leading the way with sustainable tourism. It is ensuring that those involved in the industry live the clean green image our international visitors expect. And due to the breadth of the industry throughout NZ, sustainable values are reaching all communities around the country.

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