New Zealand

New Zealand has come to be known as one of the world’s top vacation destinations. It has been touted in newspapers across the globe as the “clean, green adventure playground”, thanks to Tourism New Zealand’s main marketing slogan. The country is beautiful and rich in breathtaking views and outdoor activities ( http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/tourism/pdf-docs-library/key-tourism-statistics/key-tourism-statistics.pdf

Tourism in New Zealand is a significant industry to the economy as it contributes billions of dollars and nearly 4% of the country’s gross domestic product. Further, it is responsible for keeping nearly 6% of New Zealand’s workforce employed. This percentage equates to approximately 111,000 people in the country working in the tourist industry. Additionally, international tourist spending has resulted in approximately 16% of the country’s export earnings, which equates to approximately 10 billion dollars.

The draw to New Zealand lies primarily in the beauty and nature of the country itself. Excursions for tourists include camping, bungee jumping, whale watching, hiking, biking, and the like. The tourism in New Zealand is not resort based like many other vacation destinations. It appeals more to the physically active looking to have an adventure within the country’s beautiful landscapes. The country has warm sandy beaches, as well as snow capped mountains. This appeals to a great number of people, and as such, creates a significantly large demographic.

An interesting phenomenon has also occurred in New Zealand as a result of the Lord of the Rings films. Many fans of the movies have travelled to the country simply to view the locations that were used as backdrops in the films. As this phenomenon began to occur, many of the privately owned locations were being preserved in an effort to encourage further tourism of this type. There are some locations, however, that were not able to be preserved. This is due to the fact that, as...