New airline capacity keeps New Zealand afloat
International arrivals into New Zealand fell by just 0.4 per cent during May 2011 to 140,741 when compared to the same month in 2010 (141,336).
Statistics New Zealand figures show May arrivals increased from key markets including Australia (up 3.8 percent) and China (up 10.6 percent), while Malaysia more than doubled (up 128.1 percent) and Singapore (up 36.2 percent) continued to perform strongly.
Arrivals from UK (down 14.6 percent) and US (down 10.9 percent) continued to be challenged by the ongoing effects of the global financial crisis.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said recent increased air capacity from China, Malaysia and Singapore contributed to the May arrival figures. Without this extra capacity, arrivals would have been down considerably, he said.
“Prioritising growth in Asia and Australia remains the right thing to do in light of continued challenges in attracting visitors from our traditionally strong markets of the UK and USA,†Bowler said.
Bowler said the series of recent events, including earthquakes in Christchurch and ash from Chile, would have an impact on June arrival figures.
In the 12 months to May 2011, 2,515,859 international visitors arrived in New Zealand, an increase of 1.0 percent compared to the year to May 2010.
Ian Jarrett
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