Michelin stars won’t bring people to NZ

The Herald reported:

Tourism New Zealand is spending $6.3 million to bring the Michelin Guide – the world’s most famous restaurant ranking system – to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Inspectors have been dining here anonymously for more than a year with the first local edition of the guide due for release on June 4 next year.

An estimated 36,000 more international visitors could result from the guide’s move into New Zealand, Louise Upston, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, said today.

With respect I don’t think being in the guide will bring a single more international visitor to New Zealand.

Does anyone in New Zealand fly to Australia just to go to a nice restaurant?

A Michelin Star will definitely be a huge boon to a restaurant getting one.

It could well lead to more domestic tourism. If a restaurant in Christchurch got a Michelin Star, I would probably find an excuse to visit Christchurch so I could dine there, once I got a booking.

But I don’t think it will in any way impact how many people decide to visit New Zealand from overseas. So on that basis, I regard it as a poor investment from Tourism NZ.