Tourists expect GPS, not maps

Overseas tourists hiring vehicles increasingly expect to find a satellite navigation system, not a map, in the vehicle.

And that's not good news for the Geraldine community which has found itself the victim of the new technology with many tourists opting to take the shortest route supplied by their GPS system, bypassing Geraldine. Kea Campers might not be the largest motorhome hire company in New Zealand, but being at the premium end of the market their clientele are increasingly expecting vehicles to come complete with GPS systems.

"It is becoming more the norm. The units are getting cheaper, and they expect them rather than being handed a map," chief executive officer Grant Brady said yesterday.

GPS units now came as standard features in their larger motorhomes.

Over the summer season 80 per cent of Kea customers hired vehicles that either included GPS systems or they opted to hire the units for their stay.

Other motorhome hirers also offer the systems for hire.

The Geraldine situation was the first Mr Brady had heard of where a New Zealand town was effectively being bypassed by tourists following GPS directions.

While the company attempted to dissuade hirers from venturing on to gravel roads, he said they were free independent travellers and as such, often ventured off the main highways.

His advice to the Geraldine community was to approach the companies supplying the mapping systems to the GPS manufacturers, asking they remove the Orari to State Highway 79 shortcut.

The Geraldine situation came to light earlier this year when residents started wondering why large numbers of campervans were travelling between Orari and State Headway 79, the Geraldine-Fairlie highway, via Coach and Tiplady roads.

Checks with satellite navigation units showed if the user asked for the most direct route from Christchurch to Queenstown, it took them down the country roads rather than going into Geraldine. The Timaru District Council has put $15,000 into the coming year's draft budget for new signs for the town. Councillor Michael Oliver said the signs were needed to encourage motorists to choose a route which took them through Geraldine, rather than taking a back road journey.

Timaru man Grant Dempsey is suggesting there could be another option to spending $15,000 on new signs.

Back in 2008, while on an extended family holiday touring South East Queensland, Mr Dempsey found their satellite navigation system was very eager to take them off the "beaten track".

He described that as a scary prospect in a tropical state where distances were huge and mistakes costly in terms of time and fuel.

"It was also apparent that some locals were fed up with wayward tourists and developed a simple solution – large hand-painted signs stating `YOUR SAT NAV IS WRONG – GO BACK!'.

"Simple but effective, and helpful for frustrated tourists such as ourselves. In these tough economic times this may be just the solution for Geraldine," Mr Dempsey suggested.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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