FOR the 45-plus market, an escorted coach tour is still the most popular and practical way to cover as much of the country as possible, as operators plan itineraries for clients to maximise sightseeing and minimise downtime.
Baggage is taken care of by the driver, so clients don’t have to lug their suitcases around the islands.
Upmarket coach operators, such as Newmans, offer customers the luxury of sheepskin-covered seats and large panoramic windows as well as the comfort of on-board toilets.
For the youth market, operators such as Connections for 18-35 age bracket tailor their product to those on a budget. These operators tend to offer a lower priced motel instead of the more expensive luxury hotels.
Operators also emphasise the benefit that coach travel offers for single travellers, ie, the companionship of travelling with a group of like-minded individuals.
Travel Weekly has compiled a list of New Zealand’s most popular coach tours.
Travelmarvel’s Grand New Zealand Tour
Duration: 21 days.
Price: £1,925. Includes three-star and four-star accommodation, breakfast, dinner, air-conditioned coach travel. Flights from the UK are not included.
Itinerary: Auckland, Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier.
Highlights: the Bay of Islands on North Island, a national maritime park and the most tropical part of New Zealand. Clients can take a catamaran trip to see dolphins and the famous Hole in the Rock. On South Island, the city of Queenstown, the country’s main centre for adventure sports, doubles up as a picturesque alpine resort, situated on Lake Wakatipu.
Operator View: “Most UK tourists want to see North and South Islands, which this tour accommodates. It has a lot of two and three-night stays and is ideal for those wanting to take a more leisurely approach. It is aimed mostly at the over-35s market.”
Janice Kurrle, senior marketing manager, Australian Pacific Tours, parent company of Travelmarvel
Travel 2’s Fiordland Wonders
Duration: eight days.
Price: from £955 per person. Price includes four and five-star accommodation. UK flights and meals are not included.
Itinerary: South Island round-trip, via Franz Josef Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford, Te Anau, Dunedin and Mount Cook.
Highlights: the TranzAlpine Express, one of the world’s great scenic rail journeys, crossing the wine country of the Canterbury Plains before travelling through river valleys and gorges. The stunning Franz Josef Glacier in Westland National Park, where clients can sign up for guided walks or scenic flights. A cruise on Milford Sound, taking in the fjords and waterfalls of the Fiordland National Park.
Operator View: “South Island has some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and this trip shows clients everything it has to offer. The tour gives you several nights in Queenstown, which has superb restaurants and plenty of shopping opportunities. Clients can book a cruise on the lake or go for a walk around its shores. It is aimed at the 45-plus market.”
Andrea Robinson, product manager, Travel 2
Connections for 18-35s Adventure Seeker Duration: 15 days.
Price: £625. Includes two and three-star accommodation, breakfast, transport and sightseeing. Flights not included.
Itinerary: Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Queenstown.
Highlights: forest walks in Abel Tasman National Park. Rotorua with its bubbling mud pools, acid lakes and geysers. A rail journey on the TranzAlpine Express through the Southern Alps.
Operator View: “The TranzAlpine train journey helps to vary the mode of transport and changes the pace of the trip. It is aimed at young people on a budget, travelling on their own. It works out at around £42 a day for all meals accommodation, guide, transport and sightseeing.”
Kaye Thomas, sales manager UK, Connections for 18-35s
Sunbeam Tours’ Scenic Splendour Tour
Duration: 18 days.
Price: from £1,194 for four- and five-star accommodation, transport, services of tour guide and driver. Price excludes meals and flights from the UK.
Itinerary: from Auckland to Christchurch, via the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Wellington, Queenstown, Te Anau and Dunedin.
Highlights: Bay of Islands with its historical interest to the UK market – it was where the Maoris and the British signed a treaty to hand over land rights to the Maoris in 1840. Rotorua, New Zealand’s thermal wonderland. On South Island, Mount Cook, the country’s highest peak, where clients can take a scenic flight. The Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, massive rivers of ice pushing their way to the sea.
Operator view: “Instead of spending one night in each place and moving on, the tour has several two-night/three-day stops, so clients don’t feel like they are charging around. The tour can comfortably cover both islands in 18 days. It is particularly suited to first-timers as it takes in all major highlights.”
Tanya Borowski, sales manager, Sunbeam Tours
AAT Kings’ New Zealand Panorama
Duration: 13 days.
Price: £1,470. Includes three and four-star accommodation, the services of local guides, ground transport, breakfast and some dinners. Flights from the UK are not included.
Itinerary: Christchurch, Greymouth, Queenstown, Te Anau, Dunedin, Blenheim, Wellington and Rotorua.
Highlights: the TranzAlpine rail journey through the Southern Alps and Rotorua where clients have the option to spend the night with a local family on a farm and experience rural life in New Zealand.
Operator view: “We sell a lot to those people who have already ticked off Australia. It gives clients a complete overview of the country as it visits both North and South Islands. It is an ideal introduction – we have clients who book again in later years and just explore one region in more detail.”
Beverley Rose, sales administrator, AAT Kings
SUNBEAM Tours is planning to work with New Zealand specialist agencies to educate consumers on the benefits of coach tours.
The company estimates that for every flight booked, only one coach tour is sold.
Sales manager Tanya Borowski said: “Our goal is to emphasise the benefits for the over-45s market and help agents overcome client objections to that mode of transport. Commission on flights to New Zealand is only half what it was six years ago, so agents need to make up the shortfall by selling ground product.”
The benefits of escorted coach tours over self-drive include hassle-free transport, paying for most things upfront so clients can budget for their stay and covering more territory and sightseeing opportunities.
From March, Sunbeam will stage a series of consumer evenings with its preferred agents, where clients will see a slide show while enjoying a glass of New Zealand wine.
Also in the pipeline is an educational for about 20 agents in November.