Characterizing Off-Peak International Tourists to New Zealand

Tourism analysts, attempting to stretch the tourism season, may benefit from a detailed characterization of the typical off-season tourist. This study investigates characteristics of foreign individual tourists (FITs) visiting New Zealand during the postpeak shoulder season. Methodologically, the study provides an example of a single sample seasonal variation investigation. Data collected in a well-targeted field survey reveal that a large proportion of the tourists tend to be free of commitments both to workplace or children and their length of stay is longer than average. Several statistically significant differences were found between those who deliberately chose to travel during the postpeak season and those who preferred to travel during the peak season but had to postpone their trip to the shoulder season.