Big spenders want ‘wow’ factor

An experienced incentive tourism operator warns New Zealand better work on its ‘‘wow’’ factor if it wants to continue attracting big spending incentive travellers.

Eugene De Villiers said Queenstown’s winning bid to host 10,000 Chinese Amway sellers in 2018 was a sign the incentive travel industry in New Zealand had ‘‘come of age.’’

Such travellers were big spenders. ‘‘They’re top sales people, so they’re very competitive and want to outshine their neighbour. They’ve earned truckloads of money, and now they want their friends and peers to see how well they have done . . . with their ability to come home with a suitcase full of shopping.’’

De Villiers, a member of the New Zealand Society of Incentive and Travel Executives who has organised incentive travel for 20 years, said recipients expected experiences not open to the average tourist.

‘‘It’s something you as a tourist cannot replicate. . . it makes these top achievers feel like a million dollars because they have something no one else has.’’

To impress a group coming from the United States in July De Villiers’ Extra Mile Company has arranged for Weta Workshop to dress the group as hobbits before flying them by helicopter to the Hobbiton movie set near Matamata for a private dinner.

‘‘Our challenge is to come up with these wow events and deliver them at an exceptional standard that can compete on a world basis.’’

However, New Zealand’s image as a safe place to visit was a major plus. ‘‘With Isis and bomb threats in Paris, London and Brussels, this is a destination has a whole other appeal.’’

Incentive travellers frequently opted to stay on after their organised programme to explore other parts of the country, so Queenstown would not be the only place to benefit from the large Chinese group, De Villiers said.

Tourism New Zealand said it had not been confirmed whether the Chinese, who would arrive in groups of 500 over the shoulder season, would fly into Christchurch or Auckland before going on to Queenstown.

Christchurch and Canterbury convention bureau manager Caroline Blanchfield said it was too early to gauge the wider financial impact. If the Chinese visitors enjoyed their stay, there was a good chance at least some of them would return with their families.

‘‘They’ve been here once, so why wouldn’t they want to come back?’’

PHOTO: REUTERS Members of a Hewlett Packard Indigo Incentive trip to Queenstown were treated to a Lord of the Rings day which included a flight to Milford Sound and a glacier.