N.Z. not so friendly, survey says

Press, 18 April 1981, Page 1

N.Z. not so friendly, survey says

NZPA correspondent Washington Are New Zealanders as friendly to overseas tourists as they like to think they are? American travel writers do not think so, according < > a survey published this week. Although the writers bracketed New Zealand with three other tourist centres as the “favourite” place they had visited in the last year, New Zea" land did not rate in the top five of the countries “in which’ Americans are most welcome.” The list was headed by England (named by 57 per cent of those taking part in the survey), Canada (52 per cent), Australia (34 per cent), Japan (28 per cent) and Mexico (26 per cent) ■' “It surprises ’ me and concerns me that we are not in the top group,” said Mr H. Queenin, New Zealand Government Jravei Commissioner in New York. ■ S

“We think of ourselves as a friendly people, but maybe that is not the image we have in the United States. We should certainly take note of this and maybe we can learn a lesson from it,” Mr Queenin saidThe survey was conducted by the Society of American Travel Writers, whose president, Ms Myra Waldo, said, “This survey represents the •’'pinions of some of the most travelled people on our planet; journalists who maintain a constant sensitivity to the needs of the tourist.” New Zealand was bracketed with Alaska, Portugal, and / Hawaii as the “favourite” place those surveyed had visited in the last year. New Zealand also shared with the Algarve, Portugal, the biggest response to a question asking the place “most appealing to someone who wanted to get away from the crowd.” : •