Chinese get souvenirs, not the Kiwi sights

A report in the New Zealand Herald says that Chinese visitors are being seriously short-changed by the kickback schemes that are increasingly plaguing the tourism industry, a Chinese tour guide says.

The Auckland-based guide told the Herald that Chinese tourists who pay for five-star holidays are finding themselves short-changed.

The guide, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday that because some New Zealand-based guides do not receive money from Chinese tour companies, they go for the places that pay high commissions for visitors.

The guide said that instead of popular tourist spots like the Sky Tower or Kelly Tarlton’s, their itinerary would be filled with visiting Chinese souvenir shops, Chinese restaurants and everywhere else which would pay a handsome commission to the driver running the free tours.

The tour guide said he had been engaged to run this free tour by a travel agency in China because the company wanted to make New Zealand cheap and attractive to the Chinese market.

Every time there was a booking of about 10 people, he would be contacted by the company to do the accommodation and meal arrangements. He would do this with whoever gave him the biggest cut. On the tour party’s arrival, he would hire a minibus to take them around.

He said the itinerary comprised mainly visits to Chinese restaurants and souvenir shops which offered bigger kickbacks – up to 40 per cent compared with the standard 15 per cent.

“Of course, since I am dependent on commission to earn my income, my concentration will be to take them to places that would give me kickbacks, rather than showing the tourists around,” he said.

The tourists would be shown free sights – like Mission Bay and One Tree Hill – only if it was not out of the way from the gift shops or restaurants, he said.

One tourist who is disappointed with his Kiwi experience is Lin Wuxia, a visitor from Wuhan, China.

Mr Lin, who stayed at a Chinese-operated hotel in Whitaker Place, said that in his three-day Auckland experience, the only places he had been taken to by his guide besides the casino were Chinese restaurants and Chinese-run souvenir shops.

“So far, it feels more like a shopping trip then a real tour,” Mr Lin said. “I also feel like I haven’t left China and I am definitely not getting the Kiwi experience I had hoped for.”

Tourism New Zealand said Chinese visitor numbers and their spending in New Zealand are forecast to double by 2012, but the industry has been plagued with problems involving low quality tours, misrepresentation of itineraries and inexperienced guides.

“As China is one of our fastest growing markets, it is important that those who come here enjoy their visit and go home with good stories to tell and encourage others to make the trip,” Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said.

According to TNZ, satisfaction among Chinese visitors is also lower than other groups of visitors.

Last November, it took over managing the Approved Destination Status scheme, designed to monitor New Zealand-based Chinese tour operators.

A Report by The Mole from The NZ Herald