Aussies boost Kiwi tourism
It appears that Australians heading to New Zealand’s have helped boost guest nights in commercial accommodation in October, but the country’s biggest tourism group is warning that a couple of strong months do not mean New Zealand’s $17.5 billion industry has turned the corner on two years of near flat growth.
Visitors from Australia recorded the largest absolute increase in international guest nights, up 54,000, +19% for October compared with the same month a year earlier, figures from Statistics New Zealand show.
Visitors from Korea were up 10,000, +31%, with the largest absolute decrease recorded by visitors from Japan, down 12,000 or -20%.
Wellington was one of the strongest performing regions for the month, with guest nights +11%, or 21,000. Auckland also +11% or 44,000, while Northland was up 16,000 or +14%.
Positively Wellington Tourism CEO Tim Cossar said domestic visitor nights had been particularly strong in October, and industry feedback suggested November was “rebounding”.
He added, Wellington hosted the Golden Oldies rugby tournament and had had a good run of weekend visitors, “but I can’t say it was the weather”, he said. Positively Wellington Tourism has been working with Tourism New Zealand and other local tourism bodies on an advertising campaign in Australia to boost visitor numbers.
Statistics New Zealand’s figures showed total guest nights in hotels, motels, backpackers and campsites rose 5% to 2.5 million in October compared with the same month a year earlier with international visitor nights up 5% and domestic nights up 4%.
Tourism Industry Association New Zealand CEO Fiona Luhrs said the figures supported anecdotal reports from operators that October and November were better months, adding, “However, it’s too soon to say that the tourism industry has turned the corner on its flat performance of the last two years.”
Motels saw the biggest jump, with guest nights rising 35%, followed by hotels and camp grounds.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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