Does New Zealand Adventure Need to Roughen Up a Bit?
When you have been in the "Tourist" business for a quarter of a century or so, you develop certain ideas that may or may not be right.
For me, one of these ideas has been authenticity.
What is it?
Is it even important?
Roughen Up A Bit
What triggered my thinking on this again, was an article I recently read about a presentation by advertising guru, Sean Cummins, at the Backpacker and Adventure Tourism Conference. In his presentation he assessed the New Zealand adventure tourism industry.
His assessment - we have become too slick, and need to roughen up a bit! New Zealand to his way of thinking had lost some of its edginess, its rawness. We had become too boring, too nice and a bit too safe.
That is quite an assessment.
What is this Roughness?
What really is this "Roughness" then?
Maybe it is easier to look at it as what it is not.
As an industry we cannot afford to be less safe - so that cannot be "Roughness".
We cannot be less friendly, because Kiwis are friendly
So what is it then - this "Roughness"?
Growth of Corporatisation
What has changed over the last decade or so that has caused adventure in New Zealand to lose its "Roughness"?
A leading candidate to my mind has been the growth of the corporate adventure company. There is a very long list of smaller adventure tourism operators that have been bought out, or forced out of business by larger corporate companies.
However, this in itself is not enough. I also think it has to do with the whole growth of the best practice "Look". You know, go into many adventure companies booking office and except for the branding on the merchandise, they all look (and feel) pretty much the same.
Then there is the likes of the Qualmark tick the box approach. The more boxes that are the same that an operator has to tick, the more the same each operation becomes.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please hop on our conveyor belt while we deliver you the adventure experience of your choice, along with the recommended (and must have), T shirt, cap, silly little rugby ball, key ring, and branded junk that you don't really want anyway.
What Then is the Answer?
The answer to my mind is simple.
The answer is authenticity.
By all means we need to be safe, we need to be friendly, but we as operators, also need to be passionate, we need to be who we really are.
Each adventure operation needs to have the life that only "Real" people, who have a genuine story to tell, a passion to share, can bring.
When we tap into that authenticity - which cannot be created, only lived - our customers can feel it as soon as they walk in the door.
Whats Next?
As an operator, the very first move is to get rid of academic consultants and have a public burning of their work.
Next, take some time out and figure out what it is that you as an operator are deeply passionate about in what you do.
Next, communicate that with your staff and customers.
Last, but not least. Let your business breath and live this authenticity that is uniquely you.
That is true roughness. That is true edginess. This is the only true uniqueness.
Posted by Brian Megaw on 9th August, 2011 | Comments | Trackbacks
Tags: customer satisfaction, adventure holidays, adventure travel, White water rafting, New Zealand, backpackers
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