TIA defines ‘quality’ visitors as domestic and international visitors who deliver wide-ranging benefits to communities, businesses and nature, in a manner aligned to the government’s wellbeing framework (economic, environmental, cultural and community).

Globally, New Zealand is a niche player and must position itself as a value/premium destination. However, the term ‘value’ has multiple definitions and is problematic. TIA favours the term ‘quality’ to reflect a wider range of visitor attributes that deliver the greatest overall benefit, including spend, seasonal pattern, regional dispersal, contributions to nature and to communities, and low carbon consumption, etc. TIA supports research and analysis to get a better understanding of visitor quality.