Ah, New Zealand, dream travel destination for so many who have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy over and over again. Or who have simply been raved about by the beauty of the country by those who have already been there, for work & travel, for example. Or who have traveled there as backpackers.
Well, that was before the pandemic. Now the country is opening up after a long, pandemic-related, holiday-free period. And the tourism minister of New Zealand – in line with the imminent start of the Lord of the Rings prequel “The Rings of Power” and the expected renewed abundance of guests – can think of nothing better than to say to all those who want to travel cheaply that they are actually not welcome in the country. Backpackers will be welcomed, but “we will not target the people who write on Facebook how they can travel around our country on ten dollars a day and eat instant noodles,” he said Guardians Stuart Nash. Rather, the aim is to appeal to wealthy tourists and to align marketing accordingly.
The politician from the New Zealand Labor Party is only saying what countries like Botswana, the Maldives and the Emirates have been doing for a long time and what Bali is currently considering doing: relying only on rich guests. Still, it’s not inviting. And probably not smart either. In cities that have an over-tourism problem, it may still be okay to think about how to get the overcrowding of the old town streets under control. But an entire country shouldn’t look down on guests just because they don’t want to stay in chalets and rent cars – or, more often than not, can’t. Although there are also backpackers who do not only live from instant noodles.
Sure, there are scroungers among the backpackers. In poorer countries, this I’ll find someone to feed me mentality is a problem. But New Zealand is not one of those countries. So what speaks against instant noodle cookers? Do you breathe the air away? Are they blocking the view of the lodge residents? Perhaps they will be tomorrow’s lodge dwellers, when today’s have retired and can no longer afford to travel. And then? In New Zealand, far from the world, will they be alone and enough for themselves.