Weirdest things visitors Google before coming   6 Feb 2017

8 Feb 2017

Does New Zealand celebrate halloween?  Is Auckland a dangerous town- these are some of the subjects visitors Google before coming.

Visitors to New Zealand  are somewhat confused about our laws, weather, politics and existence, according to new research from Kiwi Movers, an international shipping firm based in London (but founded by a Kiwi).

Researchers in 13 countries, including Malaysia, India, Germany and France collated the top Google autocomplete suggestions for queries about New Zealand and its largest cities by population. In doing so, they identified the most common search queries about New Zealand and its towns and cities performed by people living in other countries.

Each researcher entered “Does (place)...” and let Google’s autocomplete function do its thing.

So if you’ve ever wondered what people actually know about our country - and what they don’t - wonder no more.

See the full results for every city and place here.

The autocomplete suggestions ranged from funny and confusing, to sad and depressing.

The most common searches for our major cities had nothing to do with culture or entertainment and were almost exclusively focused on the availability of Uber and airport wifi.

What do visitors want to know New Zealand’s towns and places? Top autocomplete suggestions by country

Does New Zealand... celebrate Halloween?  - USA
Does Auckland... have Uber? - South Africa
Does Wellington…get snow? - USA & South Korea
Does Christchurch…have Uber? - New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea
Does Hamilton?…have dialogue? - South Africa and the U.K.
Does Dunedin…hospital have wifi? - USA, New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong
Does Tauranga…have an airport? - Australia and South Africa

Sadly, the good people of France have more questions about  Beef Wellington than Wellington, NZ.

Wishful thinking on the part of Germany? Sorry guys, you’ll need a visa to come and live here.

Sadly, for residents of Hamilton, Brits are more concerned with the popular broadway play of the same name

Regan McMillan, director of Kiwi Movers, believes the results reflect the different priorities of travellers around the world:

As Kiwis located in London who come into contact with people from all over the world, it’s easy to assume everyone is clued up about life down under, but this research suggests otherwise.
“Taking the queries as a whole, it seems people want to know that they can get about, stay connected and be safe when they come to our countries.

“If you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that New Zealand is an attractive place to live as well as visit. Non-English speaking countries such as India were eager to learn about the language requirements of immigration, a great reflection of the countries desirability as a place to call home”

“The fact that people are more interested in Beef Wellington than our wonderful town may speak to the need for better marketing of our key destinations”

What do natives of New Zealand want to know about their homeland?

What confuses other English speaking nations about New Zealand? 

What do visitors from the other visiting nations want to know about New Zealand?

Add a comment