New Zealand tourism struggling to cope
NZ Tourism Ministry figures released last week showed domestic visitors spent $7.2 billion last year, just over 9 per cent less than the previous year. During the same period, New Zealanders took an additional 360,000 overseas trips, 26 per cent more than in 2003.
This dramatic drop in local spending has prompted calls for a campaign to encourage Kiwis to take a local holiday. “With increased international air capacity and competitive pricing, domestic travellers appear to be opting for overseas travel at the expense of domestic travel,” Tourism Ministry research manager Bruce Bassett said.
Eight of the 12 regions surveyed recorded fewer guest nights, with Canterbury and Bay of Plenty recording the biggest falls, down 9 per cent or 31,000 and 19,000 respectively.
Michael Baines, chief executive of the Motel Association, said motels would welcome a domestic tourism campaign.
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