Destination Hauraki Coromandel says it has recorded its third-highest performing January in terms of visitor expenditure since 2016.
The tourism and hospitality minister says the industry’s resilience “is owed to the determination and grit of tourism businesses”.
The number of workers in the tourism sector increased by 48% after New Zealand re-opened its borders to international visitors.
Tourism continues to grow in Taranaki with increasing air passenger numbers, tourism spending, and guest nights.
The Auckland and Queenstown-based operator has fought its way back from Covid impacts and the Auckland floods to return more colourful than ever but challenges remain.
The best performing visitor market of 2023 was India, followed by Fiji and the Philippines.
The bank says the Chinese visitor market is flagging, leading to a more protracted recovery in New Zealand.
The disaster cut the region off from visitors but the industry is now better prepared, say tourism leaders.
CTS’ Lisa Li highlights new trends emerging out of the Chinese visitor recovery.
Cutting 309 tourism jobs was “the right thing to do” the former CEO of the iwi’s business interests tells the Ticker.
The government is seeking feedback on additional focus areas within the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 Lessons.
They were once touted to be the fastest returning of NZ’s visitors but the youth market has been surprisingly sluggish, says an operator.
The operator says it is seeing strong forward bookings with the Chinese market returning faster than expected.
The number of visitors from India is far exceeding that seen in pre-Covid 2019, with the United States the fastest recovering of the major markets.
The association’s CEO says building “really strong relationships” with the new govt is vital as tourism gets closer to full recovery.
Bookings to New Zealand across all of Flight Centre’s worldwide stores were up more than 65% in the last three months of 2023, according to the travel agent.
While many are enjoying strong summer demand, some problems are getting worse, say operators.
Operators report a record peak season, with accommodation in popular holiday regions soaking up strong demand.
This summer has been a welcome relief for regions like Northland and Hawke’s Bay, which were hit hard by extreme weather last season.
There is significant room for recovery across Asia, with Chinese outbound and inbound tourism expected to accelerate.
International arrivals are on track for an 87% recovery of Pre-Covid by September next year, according to the latest forecast from Tourism Export Council of New Zealand.
China’s slower recovery from Covid has constrained New Zealand’s tourism rebound, says ASB in its December 2023 Economic Forecast Update.
The global tourism industry could generate $2.26tr by the end of the year, closing in on the amount earned in 2019.
The professional services firm shows that business sentiment in tourism has jumped from a year ago.
But challenges remain as the inbounder spins up its full-service operation.
International tourism arrivals are approaching pre-pandemic numbers but growth is weakening as economies around the world contract.
The sector is “a ray of sunshine” in difficult economic times, says the bank.
US visitor spend in particular has surged, jumping by 146% in August compared to the same month in 2019.
Tough economic conditions are not deterring travel, but fewer in the UK and Germany are considering NZ.
The major ITO says a strong recovery allows investment to help meet changing customer preferences.
Per person spend is significantly up on pre-Covid, according to a panel of leading inbounders.
The Matariki long weekend gave operators a welcome boost over the final stretch of the school holidays with decent weather also helping to fill tours and attract customers.
New Zealand’s trade deficit narrowed to $3.2bn dollars in the March 2023 quarter, compared with $3.9bn in the March 2022 quarter, according to data from Stats NZ.
Rotorua businesses are feeling more upbeat about the future of the city, according to the latest Business Pulse report by RotoruaNZ.
The International Air Transport Association has reported high levels of confidence among travellers for the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season.
However, the majority of UNWTO’s panel of experts agreed that international tourism would not make a full recovery to 2019 levels until at least 2024 or later.
The region’s tourism has bounced back from a difficult pandemic, buoyed by the return of foreign tourists.
The industry is expected to generate US$9.5tn in 2023 and surpass pre-Covid earnings next year.
Overseas visitor arrivals rose to 266,900 in February 2023, up 261,600 from the same month last year because of the border being closed then, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel figures.
