Skydiving in New Zealand &很长
This was my firsthand experience of skydiving in New Zealand recently. The free fall, reaching speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour, lasted 60 seconds, during which I soared alongside mountains, sunlight, and clouds. Meanwhile, dozens of Chinese tourists were waiting on the ground for the plane’s return trip to take them up into the blue sky.
The above scene is a common snapshot of today’s tourism industry in Australia and New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere. These two countries attract a large number of Chinese tourists each year with their pristine natural landscapes. As outbound travel increases year by year and living standards continue to rise, the tastes of Chinese travelers are evolving significantly with their travel experiences. In recent years, extreme and outdoor sports, which have become popular in both countries, have also emerged as one of the travel activities highly favored by Chinese visitors. Many tourists, no longer content with simply enjoying gourmet food and scenic views, are seeking the ultimate thrills of adventure and sports amidst the blue seas and skies.
Australia and New Zealand’s abundant natural geography make the two countries a paradise for extreme and outdoor sports. Bungee jumping, skydiving, diving, surfing, and hiking — the range of extreme sports here covers land, sea, and air, and is seen by enthusiasts as the best way to get up close and personal with both breathtaking scenery and adrenaline-pumping fear.
“My daughter says I’m too ‘alternative’ — going hot-air ballooning, diving, and hiking, instead of doing what others do,” said Zhang Xiaoyu, a 38-year-old from Shanghai, to the reporter. This was her second trip to Melbourne. Unlike her first visit, hot-air balloon rides and wilderness hikes replaced shopping, dining, and riding around in vehicles. She’s also planning to try paragliding. “I want to explore more unique experiences.”
Mount Arapiles in Victoria, Australia, is recognized as one of the world’s top rock climbing destinations. Its long coastline also offers opportunities for diving and swimming with sharks. In the south, Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features the 65-kilometer-long Overland Track, ranked among the world’s best hiking routes. “Next time I come to Australia, I plan to try this six-day, five-night trekking route with some friends,” said Zhang Xiaoyu.
In neighboring New Zealand, the birthplace of bungee jumping, the atmosphere for adventure sports is even more intense. Despite the high cost, most Chinese tourists visiting the South Island of the country are eager to try the once-in-a-lifetime experience of skydiving.
NZONE SKYDIVE, located in Queenstown, is New Zealand’s first company to operate commercial tandem skydiving. It enjoys a global reputation for maintaining a zero-accident safety record in the skydiving industry for over 20 years. Derek, the company’s head of Chinese business, told the reporter, “To my surprise, there are many Chinese tourists coming here to skydive. Last year, out of about 20,000 visitors who jumped here, around 10% were from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and that number is growing at a rate of 7%–8%. We originally thought Asian tourists would be more conservative about skydiving, but that’s not the case. Just last week, I hosted a mother and son from Beijing — the kid was only 8 years old.”
Derek said the number of Chinese tourists coming to his company for skydiving is second only to those from Australia. Moreover, a significant number of Chinese visitors can be seen across New Zealand’s entire extreme sports industry, which has drawn high attention from New Zealand’s tourism authorities and companies. Now, NZONE SKYDIVE not only employs Li Li, a young woman from Wuhan, specifically to assist Chinese guests, but has also launched a dedicated Chinese Weibo account and makes several promotional trips to mainland China each year.
At the skydiving base, I met many Chinese tourists waiting to “take to the skies.” Wang Jun, a man in his 30s from Shanghai, trembled as he asked me and others whether it was scary, while explaining, “They say skydiving here is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t miss, so I’m going to give it a try.”
“Many people ask if their hearts can handle it. In reality, compared to bungee jumping, skydiving is both thrilling and fun, and very safe,” said Li Li.
“Contrary to what people might think, skydiving is a very safe sport. Statistics show that none of the safety incidents in the global commercial skydiving industry have been related to the act of skydiving itself — they’re mostly due to aircraft malfunctions, which are directly linked to maintenance and support. Therefore, I advise Chinese tourists to choose reputable and well-established skydiving companies,” said Nick, a coach with 11,000 skydives under his belt.
According to staff from Tourism Victoria in Australia and Tourism New Zealand, the Chinese tourism market holds huge potential. Extreme sports such as skydiving, diving, and hiking are attracting Chinese tourists at an astonishing rate, representing a brand-new selling point for local tourism. They plan to incorporate these elements into their promotional activities in China, “targeting middle-aged and young affluent individuals in their 30s and 40s.”