After a recent visit in February sparked controversy, New Zealand kiwifruit marketer Zespri is currently hosting another group of foreign buyers.

The 'China Trade' visit began on March 16 and runs until March 21, with an estimated 14 guests who were set to take part in a range of recreational activities and informational events including visits to orchards and packhouses.

From an itinerary obtained by www.freshfruitportal.com, the current visit does not appear to be as lavish as the previous one, however it does include a luxury yacht tour, as well as visits to the Hobbiton movie set and Skyline Rotorua where activities such as a gondola ride, wine tasting and a skyswing are available.

The tour will also include a visit to Rainbow Springs in Rotorua, New Zealand's largest conservation park for the bird the kiwifruit was named after - the kiwi.

Zespri communications manager Oliver Broad told www.freshfruitportal.com customer visits were part and parcel of the company's promotion program, with 50 visits planned for this year with some 600 guests expected.

"Over the last three years, tour costs have accounted for 3% of our promotion expenditure," he said.

Broad highlighted the highly-publicized recent VIP tour was unique as while Zespri had hosted its top buyers in the past, it was usually on a regional basis.

"This time we brought all of them together," he said.

"We've said before that the 29 people on that visit were the top global partners of the business. It was a huge success.

"One element of it is that it's really about the relationship and educating buyers in advance of very significant volumes of kiwifruit that are going to grow over the next few years."

The representative also added that Zespri had an ambassador program where growers were paid to help Zespri in its tours and provide hospitality to its guests.

The previous trip received criticism from some growers with one referring to it as "corporate exorbitance", however New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) president Neil Trebilco said promotional spending was important in order to generate demand for a dramatic increase in gold kiwifruit volumes.

www.freshfruitportal.com