Letters to the Travel Editor
‘South Pacific blowhard’ Dear Stephanie Holmes, What a load of smug dross the tourism bosses of New Zealand come out with. We are not the best little country in the world. They need to visit Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Austria, etc, etc.\
There they have scenery just as spectacular, and, in most cases certainly greener in terms of the environment. They also do not rip you off with food prices, and, if you like a glass of wine they don’t charge you anything like $10-$14 dollars a pop as we do. They also tend not to embrace the “supply and demand” mantra our people do when an event is on, and use that as an excuse to price gouge on accommodation.
Those of us lucky enough to travel know that New Zealand is in danger of becoming a smug, over-egged, over-priced destination available to mostly high-end travellers. I’m sad to say it, as we do have much to offer, but we’re starting to sound like a South Pacific blowhard. Cheers, Jim Hubbard Compulsory club I Dear Sir, [Re: ‘Seeking the smart money’, Travel, May 16] Interesting idea for a compulsory “club” for tourists to help encourage them elsewhere than the hot spots. But discounting is never a winning strategy for any business. Instead we need to add value, not discount. KiwiCoastal Compulsory club II (Reader of the Year) Dear Sir, [Re: ‘Seeking the smart money’, Travel, May 16] Ever thought of running for Mayor? A brilliant marketing strategy. Donna Class warfare Dear Sir, Further to the letter from C Adler [‘Letters to the Travel Editor’, May 16] I totally endorse his comments.
I was disappointed with your response that stated “we aim for about 50/50 split between reviews of Economy and Premium”.
With respect, your reviews that often cover Business Class are not accurately reflecting the majority of travellers and your readership. We are regular travellers and can afford Business Class but fly Economy for many reasons. We so enjoy the Travel section, especially the review section and helpful feedback by travellers. However, as soon as we read that it’s Business Class or a five-star hotel, we skip and read on. Why? Because — surprise, surprise — at that level of expenditure one expects a high level of deliverables so it’s not really news or in fact interesting that most of the boxes are ticked.
I close by trying to encourage you and your staff to reach the majority of travellers. It’s not Business Class and five-star hotels. David Soulsby The Travel Editor replies: We aim for a 50/50 split on reviews of premium flights and Economy Class partly because we know (from readership surveys and from what people click on when reading online) that there’s significant interest in luxury products. Even when we’re flying on a low-cost carrier, many of us are dreaming of a lie-flat bed. Baggage allowance alert Dear Sir, The main reason we travelled Air India for domestic flights in India is that they have a much bigger luggage allowance than other (sometimes cheaper) airlines. Big shock if you change to GoAir or Spice Jet or Indigo (carrying your full 23/25kg bags) midway as these airlines baggage allowance domestically is only 15kg. We also enjoyed the mango juice and little bottles of water (for later use) and a lovely fresh and cool sweetcorn sandwich. Leah The Travel Editor replies: Air India’s mango juice drinks are legendary. Thanks for the very smart tip on the luggage allowance.