Tourists have had their say on what they dislike about visiting New Zealand and we reckon they're bang on the money.
Over 5,000 international travellers answered the International Visitor Survey (IVS) by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) upon leaving Aotearoa. They were surveyed on how long they stayed, what they thought of their trip and, most interestingly, what their “poor experiences” were.
According to those overseas visitors, “dangerous driving”, “litter on the streets”, and “overcrowded vehicle parking lots” are the worst parts of life in our country.
Also listed by tourists, but to a far lesser extent, was “rude behaviour from locals” with just 16.4% of respondents listing it as an issue.
I guess traffic could come under ‘dangerous driving’ and the no parking is a by-product of packed roads, but it is surprising not to see it on the list.
Those tourists must not have visited the summer hotspot Tauranga.
In a 2022 Quality of Life survey done by NielsenIQ, a whopping 77% of Tauranga locals view traffic congestion as “a big problem” with a further 20% labelling it as “a bit of a problem”.
Compare that to Auckland, the stereotypical ‘poor traffic’ city in Aotearoa, where the numbers are 40% and 39%, respectively. Dunedin was actually in second place, with just over half of respondents seeing the traffic problem as "big".
Some Tauranga locals talked to Stuff about the traffic and jeepers creepers they’re mad, frustrated, and even hopeless.
“It’s worse than Auckland,” said Glenn Wilson. “Ludicrous. If you want to get somewhere you have to leave the night before.”
Let this be a lesson for all of us Kiwis, me included: Be a little more chill on the road, pick up after yourself, and help each other find a car park!
