Ecotourism in New Zealand: A Sustainable and Responsive Way to Explore - Essay Sample

Introduction

The focus of ecotourism in New Zealand aims to bring visitors in contact with the country's diverse ecosystem, culture and more importantly, the wildlife in the region. By enabling a sustainable, responsive as well as conservative interaction, this industry further seeks to add richness as well as diversity to the country, instead of stripping tourist sites of resources. Due to the current ongoing pandemic that has led to the closure of the New Zealand borders and ban of domestic tourism in the region, there is an uncertainty of when the border will re-open as well the resumption of the domestic tourism. However, the New Zealand government is currently strategizing to maximize ecotourism upon the return of normalcy in the country and the rest of the world. This calls for the formulation of proposals towards the development of tourism packages that could be promoted both nationally and globally. Through secondary research, this report presents the marketing mix strategies for three ecotourism packages, including Eco travels from Auckland, Kayaking Glow-Worm Tours and Day Trips from Auckland.

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Overall Demand for Ecotourism in NZ

Ecotourism is a crucial contributor to New Zealand's economy and was reported to experience rapid growth before the current pandemic. According to research by Chand (2020), the level of ecotourism demand in New Zealand is forecasted to reach 5.2 million by the end of 2024. Moreover, the annual international spend is also forecast to reach close to $15 billion by the end of 2024, translating to a 5 per cent growth per year (Liu, Li & Soutar, 2017). The spend per visitor in ecotourism is also expected to increase upon the return of normalcy in the region. As such, there will be a somewhat higher rate of spend growth compared to the number of visitors, indicating that the spend per visitor in New Zealand's eco-tourism will increase further at normalcy.

Identification for Potential Activities and Services included in the Packages

Due to the delicacy of ecotourism in New Zealand, there is a need to take responsibility for reducing the footprint in ecotourism. As a package, eco travels from Auckland entails a combination of travel practises, by combining the greatest luxury. More importantly, the travels involve moving around using state-of-the-art Tesla, that is 100% electric, thereby improving the environment (Luxury Escapes, 2020). In ensuring that clients get the best experience, this package allows the client to enjoy fresh products and foods. Here, plastic packaging is omitted while the re-cyclable materials are used widely to cover food products. The next package Kayaking glow-worm tours, allows clients to engage in different activities, including the door to door VIP night outs as well as enjoying a selection of New Zealand drinks and snacks (Luxury Escapes, 2020). Moreover, this package also provides opportunities for clients to experience an hour of kayaking down the Pokaiwhenua river. The third package entailing day trips from Auckland allows tourists to enjoy several activities including hikes in rainforests as well as beaches. In this package, visitors can also stroll along the shore, enabling them to discover the secrets of Lion Rock. In addition, the package also allows visitors to enjoy music and overnight stays.

Justification for the Location of the Activities included in the Packages

The activities identified in the eco-travel package are essential in Auckland New Zealand because this location has a fundamental goal of promoting the green environment. For instance, the use of Tesla vehicles to tour around the region as well as the usage of non-plastic packaging materials (Luxury Escapes, 2020). In addition, the second package’s activities are justified of the location because the area allows for Kayaking, a significant activity of the package. Moreover, activities in the third package are also justified for the location, considering that they are set up in a region that allows hiking, both in the rainforest as well as beaches.

Competitors

The eco-tourism industry in New Zealand is highly competitive of many packages meant to give tourists different experiences of the region. The eco travels from Auckland package, for instance, has a high competition from luxury eco-tour Auckland NZ, as a competitor. This package combines luxury, style as well as fine detail that allows tourists to have a wonderful escape in New Zealand, from their day to day life (Luxury Escapes, 2020). Also, the package of kayaking with glow-worms tours faces stiff competition from packages such as off-road 4WD tours as well as gold mining tours. Lastly, the day trips package competes with the superyacht charter boat trips that allow tourists to engage with the environment along with experiences in deep-sea fishing around the Hauraki Gulf, privately.

Range Pricing for the Packages

All the three packages are affordable to tourists and are therefore competitive, allowing tourists to have the best experiences at affordable prices. For instance, the first package puts together a series of eco-travel with a combination of the best in luxury, while providing all the details to make the tour friendly to the clients at a package price range from US$ 1200 for two people, for two days (Luxury Escapes, 2020). This package is inclusive of being driven around in the Teslas towards the promotion of the green economy. The second package kayaking with glow worms entails drifting the canyon at dusk at as well as accommodation all at a fee starting from US$ 900 for two people for two days (Luxury Escapes, 2020). Here, tourists do not need to be driven around since the package entails drifting and hiking. Finally, the day trips at the beaches and rainforest package is the friendliest in terms of price. The package allows visitors to hike through the rain forest with several different pre-planned routes for US$ 500 per day for two people (Luxury Escapes, 2020).

Segmentation and Positioning of the Packages

From the client definition to the three packages, there is evidence that the tourists differ in several ways. The clients for the first package are segmented as technology and environmental enthusiasts. Most of these clients are of the middle age between 25 to 50 years from both genders (Luxury Escapes, 2020). This segmentation is evident because the package solely focuses on driving the tourists around in the electric cars with a goal of conserving the environment and achieving sustainability. The segmentation for the second package entails both men and women, especially the youth that love to hike and enjoy drifting in kayaks. This segmentation is also justified by the fact that most of the tourists and clients involved, love these particular activities. The last package also segments and targets both genders and more importantly, clients that love hiking. Usually, these are young individuals that have the strength and ability to take walks in the beaches and rainforest. All the packages are positioned to conserve the environment and with the utmost focus of enabling clients to have a great experience of eco-tourism in New Zealand.

References

Chand, N. N. (2020). Ecotourism in New Zealand: A Catalyst for Sustainable Development. Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology. Pp. 56-73

Liu, F., Li, T., & Soutar, G. N. (2017, December). Examining ecotourism experiences: Chinese tourists in Australia. In 2017 ANZMAC Conference: Marketing for impact (pp. 847-850). RMIT University.

Luxury Escapes, A. (2020). Eco Travels | Luxury Tours | Ecotourism NZ | Eco Tours From Auckland. Luxuryescapesnz.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from https://www.luxuryescapesnz.com/eco-travels-luxury-tours-ecotourism-nz.html.

Luxury Escapes, A. (2020). Kayaking With Glow Worms New Zealand Tours | Day Trips from Auckland. Luxuryescapesnz.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from https://www.luxuryescapesnz.com/kayaking-with-glow-worms-new-zealand-tours.html.

Luxury Escapes, A. (2020). Day Trips From Auckland | Hiking Rainforest and Auckland Beaches. Luxuryescapesnz.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from https://www.luxuryescapesnz.com/day-trips-from-auckland-beaches-rainforest-hiking.html.