Queenstown is lagging behind Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland as the most popular autumn and winter holiday destination for domestic tourists, according to a new survey.
The Fly Buys/Colmar Brunton Mood of the New Zealand Traveller survey, released by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) this week shows Queenstown is the fourth most popular winter destination for the second consecutive survey.
NZSki chief executive James Coddington said he was "very surprised" to hear Wellington's wind and rain had beaten Queenstown's snow.
"I've been to Wellington and it's not the season I'd want to go there again. Queenstown has much more to offer in winter even if you're not a skier. It's a world-class winter destination resort," he said.
The survey also showed 510,000 New Zealanders were planning a skiing trip in the next six months, 10% more than last year.
"I'm very happy to hear that. It comes off the back of a couple of very successful seasons and increased investment in our product," he said.
He was not sure if this year would see the same near-perfect snow conditions of last year.
"We are always hopeful, but we have made a significant investment in snow-making so I'm confident we will have excellent coverage," he said.
TIA chief executive Tim Cossar said the survey confirmed Kiwis were starting to make more travel plans as the effects of the recession receded.
"Skifields and mountain communities should be in for a bumper season as Kiwis dust off their skis and snowboards, with one in 10 of us planning to hit the slopes more than last year," he said.
The travel bug had returned, with 40% of Kiwis planning an overseas trip in the next six months.
Fly Buys chief executive Andy Symons said although people were planning to travel more, price remained the deal breaker.
"For 72% of Kiwis, finding a good-value flight or accommodation deal affects whether or not they decide to go on holiday, and for more than two-thirds of us it also dictates when, where and how long we go away for," he said.
Colmar Brunton chief executive Harry Pappafloratos said the survey gave New Zealand's travel and tourism industry valuable insights into where to focus their marketing efforts to attract more Kiwis.
