WELLINGTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand tourism and transport authorities are targeting Chinese visitors with a road safety campaign after a spate of recent car crashes involving tourists behind the wheel.
China was New Zealand's second largest tourist market and Chinese visitors were increasingly choosing to self-drive rather than take a traditional coach tour, said a joint statement from Tourism New Zealand, the New Zealand Transport Agency and Air New Zealand Tuesday.
A Chinese-language safety video was being included on inflight entertainment systems on Air New Zealand flights from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong into New Zealand, and posted on Youku and the tourism agency's website "in response to calls to better communicate New Zealand road safety messages after a spate of recent crashes involving tourists," it said.
"We know that driving conditions in New Zealand are very different to those experienced in China (mainland) and Hong Kong, and this can come as something of a surprise to some of our visitors," Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said in the statement.
"No one ever wants to hear of a holiday that ends in a road crash or worse."
Transport Agency road safety director Ernst Zollner said the video was part of a broader effort to cut the number of crashes involving tourists.
"It's important to improve tourists' awareness of New Zealand driving conditions, but we're also looking at ways of encouraging visitors to hire the safest rental vehicles they can afford, promoting safe and realistic route choices and travel itineraries, and improving signage and road markings," Zollner said in the statement.
Vehicles in New Zealand must travel on the left side of the road, as opposed to the right side in the Chinese mainland.
|
