NZ camping grounds see boom time
A report from New Zealand says that while the tourism industry is tightening its belt, camping grounds are as “good as gold”, boosted by travellers looking for a cheaper option.
Many camping grounds in Southland and Otago are fully booked from Christmas to the end of January.
New Zealand Holiday Park Association chief executive Fergus Brown said holiday parks were benefiting from Kiwis choosing to forgo a trip to Aussie in favour of camping and international visitors tightening their expenses.
“I would say it’s as good as last year, better in some areas,” he said.
Recent Tourism New Zealand numbers show international visitor arrivals are down 10 per cent on last year.
However, Mr Brown said the drops were in tourists from Asia and the United States, who did not usually stay in holiday parks. Lower petrol prices and a good exchange rate were also helping, he said. Queenstown Creeksyde Holiday Park owner and Destination Queenstown chairwoman Erna Spijkerbosch said international visitor arrivals remained strong.
“We are looking very good until the end of January,” she said. “There’s still spaces but we are not noticing the downturn.”
Invercargill’s Beach Road Holiday Park manager Gerry Oudhoff said the downturn was a positive for camping grounds and holiday parks.
“New Zealanders are more inclined to look to their own doorstep rather than travel overseas at the moment,” he said. “We are doing very well.”
Wanaka Lakeside Holiday Park assistant manager Alan Martin said business was up slightly on last year and they were fully booked through to next month.
“People seem to be downgrading their style of holiday,” he said.
Holiday Parks operators in Cromwell and Alexandra were also booked through till the end of January.
Gore’s Delamore Park caretaker Vick Herring said business was “bloody good”, with a lot of family groups and Australian tourist.
However, Mr Brown warned that things could get shaky beyond February.
“We do have to be very mindful about what happens in the February market.
“We are not getting as many forward bookings.”
A Report by The Mole
Sharon Anderson, of the Department of Conservation Te Anau area office, said hut bookings for Southland’s Great Walks were expected to decline through summer.
“It’s starting to slow down a wee bit. At the later end of the season we might notice a difference.”
Huts on the Milford Track were booked out until March, Ms Anderson said, but vacancies remained on the Kepler and Routeburn trails through much of summer.
A Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent