Interpretation New Zealand

Naumai

I recently had the opportunity to travel down SH 1 from Cambridge to Wellington.

I was struck by a number of tourism businesses that despite their prime site on SH 1 did little to inspire or motivate me to stop. What looked like broken down or dirty vehicles, broken or old signage and a general unkept appearance. It may be the off-season for some of these businesses but…!

In another city I recently visited a major attraction. The parking was difficult and well separated from the entrance. The entrance was uninviting and overdone with billboards. It did little to inspire a sense of anticipation for what might lie beyond.

This not only applies to those tourism businesses on SH 1 but also in many places and businesses as diverse as Queenstown and Auckland.

First impressions are like relationships. Rightly or wrongly most people make an assumption or form an impression in the first few seconds about the person they have just met. The same applies to your business.

What are the first physical impressions of your business?

My next blog will discuss what happens, or doesn’t,when you first enter a business and interact, or not (!) with staff.

Ka kite ano

Malcolm

What do visitors see when they arrive at your destination?