Kia ora THE
I hope you had a successful Easter weekend as visitors enjoyed the start of autumn across the country. I would like to acknowledge operators in areas affected by the current adverse weather. I've heard reports of visitors who have been affected being well supported, thank you for your efforts and I hope you are all keeping safe.
Visitor numbers continue to show positive signs with January arrivals having recovered to 79% of pre-COVID levels, while holiday visitors have recovered to 73%.Tourism’s contribution to New Zealand’s economy is critical, now more than ever, as the country faces tough economic times. Ongoing visitation growth cannot be assumed, we’ve launched new activity to encourage visitation across the year and beyond.
New activity went live in Australia this week to drive winter bookings.There are currently 3.9 million Australian’s actively considering visiting New Zealand.The content showcases the breadth of experiences on and off the slopes in New Zealand’s winter season.The work supports Tourism New Zealand’s focus on encouraging visitation across shoulder and off-peak seasons to help grow the tourism sector’s productivity throughout the year. You can read more on this below.
We also launched new activity in the Japanese market to grow appeal for New Zealand. The pool of active considerers in Japan has reduced by around 10% since the pandemic. Japan is an important market for New Zealand, with Japanese holiday visitors contributing $95 million to our economy in 2023. Tourism New Zealand is focussed on rebuilding the number of Japanese people considering New Zealand for their next holiday. You can find out more on this below.
Tourism New Zealand also recently held our first Kiwi Link Japan in five years, and it was wonderful to be back. Over two days, 24 New Zealand operators held 600 meetings with 24 Japanese travel trade.The New Zealand delegation then enjoyed two days at Kiwilink Korea, meeting with 25 Korean buyers. A big thank you to the New Zealand industry who represented destination New Zealand and connected with trade partners.
I look forward to seeing many of you at TRENZ in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in May and then at Tourism New Zealand’s Engagement Hui later in the month. At these events I will be sharing more about what consumers are looking for, the challenges facing the sector and what Tourism New Zealand is doing in response. Registrations for the hui open on 22 April.
As always - if you have any questions, feedback, or want to get in touch with myself or one of the Tourism New Zealand team, please contact us.
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