Opinion Bruce Cotterill

Ithink we live in the best country in the world. Our lifestyle is hard to beat. We’re close to the oceans and the mountains. And our distance from the rest of the world is now an advantage rather than a curse.

I’ve just spent two weeks travelling in France. Part business, part holiday. Often, we need to get out of our own country in order to fully appreciate what we have. One thing I have noticed is that the people we bump into as we travel are pretty keen on New Zealand, too. There are plenty more who would travel our way, given the opportunity.

However, like any country, we’re not perfect. What follows is some of my thoughts and observations about our place in the tourism world and some opportunities on the horizon.

At this time of the year the tourism season in Europe is winding down, but it still seems extremely busy by our standards. Most of the tourists in mid-September are Europeans. Of course, we are heavily reliant on Asian tourism in New Zealand and maybe that’s sufficient. But if we want to look wider, and if the Chinese economy really is softening, then perhaps we should look to the Germans, Scandinavians and the French who want to come too.

They don’t know enough about how to come or what they can do when they get here. But they know that New Zealand’s a cool place. And those who have been to our country rave about it and us. And when the Europeans travel, they spend.

On the topic of tourism, one trend became very obvious very quickly. Motorcycle tourism is huge. Groups of at least four and often 10 or 12 people, mainly men but including a healthy number of women, on tour in big groups on big bikes. Whilst we can’t offer ancient churches and hillside villages, our coastal roads, mountain passes and stunning countryside are made for such people.

And there are lots of them. We counted 200 bikes some days. They are mainly 50-somethings, with disposable income, exploring the pleasure of riding their machines while they travel.

It’s a tourism dollar that’s growing and I hope that Tourism New Zealand is going after it.

If they’re not riding bikes, they’re walking. Trekking. Not through the mountains with 25kg backpacks. But walking trails and treks through interesting scenery with their luggage being carried ahead to the next hotel, much as we see with cycling tours. Again, there are hundreds of them, some in groups, and some as individuals or couples. We spoke to an American couple who took a wrong turn and walked 50 kilometres in a day. They loved it.

They’d love it here too. New Zealand is made for this traveller. We get plenty of coverage for the Routeburn and Milford tracks, and the Abel Tasman and Queen Charlotte at the top of the South Island are as spectacular as you would get. But we also have the relatively new Te Araroa Trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff and we could leverage off one of our most famous names if we fully promoted the spectacular Hillary Trail on Auckland’s West Coast. I’ve only walked a few of them, but I truly believe that our walking tracks can compete with any in the world.

As a destination, we’re very desirable. But we need to make it easy for them. We have to sell our distant and slightly more expensive version of paradise. We’re a long way away from these people. So we need to remind them about us.

Once we do, they love the idea of spending some time with us. And once they get here, we’re easy. In growing numbers we speak their second language. The economic benefits are huge.

The world might not always want to buy our milk powder or kiwifruit. But for the foreseeable future, they will always want to come and stay. And perhaps we can always learn from them, and become a bit better at serving them when they get here.

Bruce Cotterill is a five-time CEO and current company chairman and director. He is the author of the new book, The Best Leaders Don’t Shout.