Tourism Ticker
The Business of Tourism
 
Tourism Ticker
The Business of Tourism

Tourism Ticker

Tourism Ticker
  News   Recovery   Opinion
Tuesday 05 March 2024
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Recovery

TSA: Number of tourism workers jump following border reopening 29th February 2024 /

TSA: Number of tourism workers jump following border reopening

The number of workers in the tourism sector increased by 48% after New Zealand re-opened its borders to international visitors.


Record international guest nights for Taranaki 29th February 2024 /

Record international guest nights for Taranaki

Tourism continues to grow in Taranaki with increasing air passenger numbers, tourism spending, and guest nights.


An Operator’s View: Odysseum’s David Parker-Smith 26th February 2024 /

An Operator’s View: Odysseum’s David Parker-Smith

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.


NZ’s best-performing visitor market of 2023 tops 126% of pre-Covid 23rd February 2024 /

NZ’s best-performing visitor market of 2023 tops 126% of pre-Covid

The best performing visitor market of 2023 was India, followed by Fiji and the Philippines.


Tourism recovery slowing, arrivals reverting to trend – Westpac 21st February 2024 /

Tourism recovery slowing, arrivals reverting to trend – Westpac

The bank says the Chinese visitor market is flagging, leading to a more protracted recovery in New Zealand.


Govt moots expanding Covid inquiry to include economic impacts 7th February 2024 /

Govt moots expanding Covid inquiry to include economic impacts

The government is seeking feedback on additional focus areas within the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19 Lessons.


Hostels raising rates despite sluggish return of youth market 5th February 2024 /

Hostels raising rates despite sluggish return of youth market

They were once touted to be the fastest returning of NZ’s visitors but the youth market has been surprisingly sluggish, says an operator.


TIA’s Rebecca Ingram on maintaining summer’s momentum and 2024’s priorities 30th January 2024 /

TIA’s Rebecca Ingram on maintaining summer’s momentum and 2024’s priorities

The association’s CEO says building “really strong relationships” with the new govt is vital as tourism gets closer to full recovery.


Flight Centre: summer boost for NZ bookings 26th January 2024 /

Flight Centre: summer boost for NZ bookings

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.


Operators’ top challenges putting pressure on businesses 25th January 2024 /

Operators’ top challenges putting pressure on businesses

While many are enjoying strong summer demand, some problems are getting worse, say operators.


Wednesday Letter: The recovery – not the pandemic – is the real catalyst for tourism change 24th January 2024 /

Wednesday Letter: The recovery – not the pandemic – is the real catalyst for tourism change

What should the priorities be for operators and industry groups for the year ahead?


Record trading, bumper bookings in “best ever” summer for destination hotels… 23rd January 2024 /

Record trading, bumper bookings in “best ever” summer for destination hotels…

Operators report a record peak season, with accommodation in popular holiday regions soaking up strong demand.


…with welcome relief for activity operators hurt by last peak season’s storms 23rd January 2024 /

…with welcome relief for activity operators hurt by last peak season’s storms

This summer has been a welcome relief for regions like Northland and Hawke’s Bay, which were hit hard by extreme weather last season.


Global tourism on track to pass pre-Covid this year – UNWTO 22nd January 2024 /

Global tourism on track to pass pre-Covid this year – UNWTO

There is significant room for recovery across Asia, with Chinese outbound and inbound tourism expected to accelerate.


TECNZ: 87% recovery by Sept 2024, full return year following 7th December 2023 /

TECNZ: 87% recovery by Sept 2024, full return year following

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 slows NZ tourism recovery – ASB 7th December 2023 /

China slows NZ tourism recovery – ASB

China’s slower recovery from Covid has constrained New Zealand’s tourism rebound, says ASB in its December 2023 Economic Forecast Update.


International tourism to finish 2023 near 90% of pre-Covid – UNWTO 4th December 2023 /

International tourism to finish 2023 near 90% of pre-Covid – UNWTO

The global tourism industry could generate $2.26tr by the end of the year, closing in on the amount earned in 2019.


Tourism New Zealand reaps benefits of strong recovery 4th December 2023 /

Tourism New Zealand reaps benefits of strong recovery

Tourism New Zealand says it achieved 10 out of 11 performance goals in its 2023 fiscal year, only failing on the level of its stakeholder engagement, according to its latest annual report.


Aus, Singapore, US lead holiday visitor recovery – TECNZ 20th November 2023 /

Aus, Singapore, US lead holiday visitor recovery – TECNZ

All three markets are enjoying a good recovery in holiday visitor numbers.


Tourism top three most optimistic sectors – BDO 17th November 2023 /

Tourism top three most optimistic sectors – BDO

The professional services firm shows that business sentiment in tourism has jumped from a year ago.


Global tourism recovery nears pre-Covid but growth slowing – IMF 15th November 2023 /

Global tourism recovery nears pre-Covid but growth slowing – IMF

International tourism arrivals are approaching pre-pandemic numbers but growth is weakening as economies around the world contract.


Better than expected business travel pushes Serko interim revenue up 87% 15th November 2023 /

Better than expected business travel pushes Serko interim revenue up 87%

Serko has reported a strong set of interim results following what it calls “high revenue growth” across its divisions.


Tourism’s challenge? To grow sustainably while adding value – Westpac 31st October 2023 /

Tourism’s challenge? To grow sustainably while adding value – Westpac

The sector is “a ray of sunshine” in difficult economic times, says the bank.


Airfare costs softening NZ bookings – TECNZ 10th October 2023 /

Airfare costs softening NZ bookings – TECNZ

The ITO association says its members are seeing a slight softening in demand for next year due to the ongoing high cost of flights.


West Coast milestone as international spend exceeds pre-Covid 27th September 2023 /

West Coast milestone as international spend exceeds pre-Covid

US visitor spend in particular has surged, jumping by 146% in August compared to the same month in 2019.


International visitor return strengthens economy – govt 21st September 2023 /

International visitor return strengthens economy – govt

The return of international visitors is helping to improve New Zealand’s economy and shrink the current account deficit, according to Finance Minister Grant Robertson.


UNWTO: “Remarkable” recovery for international tourism 20th September 2023 /

UNWTO: “Remarkable” recovery for international tourism

International tourism has continued its strong recovery from the pandemic with arrival numbers reaching 84% of pre-pandemic levels between January and July 2023.


NZ desirability yet to return to pre-Covid levels despite European appetite – TNZ 14th September 2023 /

NZ desirability yet to return to pre-Covid levels despite European appetite – TNZ

Tough economic conditions are not deterring travel, but fewer in the UK and Germany are considering NZ.


Operators strive for balanced visitor mix to improve resilience 13th September 2023 /

Operators strive for balanced visitor mix to improve resilience

Reducing the reliance on just one or two large markets is a priority for Mackenzie’s operators, according to an industry survey.


US visitor numbers outpace pre-Covid 13th September 2023 / /

US visitor numbers outpace pre-Covid

Overseas visitor numbers from the United States to New Zealand in July have outpaced even pre-Covid 2019, possibly due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, according to Stats NZ.


Clear road ahead for Grand Pacific Tours 28th August 2023 /

Clear road ahead for Grand Pacific Tours

The major ITO says a strong recovery allows investment to help meet changing customer preferences.


Slowing tourism numbers, airfare concerns over recovery – survey 22nd August 2023 /

Slowing tourism numbers, airfare concerns over recovery – survey

Low tourism numbers, expensive flights, rising interest rates and other costs are contributing to a sluggish tourism recovery, according to respondents in a survey by former Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander.


Westland visitor spend growth tops country in strong West Coast recovery – DWC 16th August 2023 /

Westland visitor spend growth tops country in strong West Coast recovery – DWC

Visitor spend in the West Coast’s Westland District increased by 96% over the year to the June 2023 quarter – the strongest growth of any region, according to Development West Coast.


“Every little bit helps” – industry relieved at scrapping of Covid restrictions 15th August 2023 /

“Every little bit helps” – industry relieved at scrapping of Covid restrictions

The 7-day isolation requirement for positive cases will be scrapped overnight, ending the last area of Covid friction for tourism.


Tourism marks year since full border re-opening 31st July 2023 /

Tourism marks year since full border re-opening

New Zealand tourism has had a roller coaster year since the borders re-opened a year ago, says Tourism Industry Aotearoa.


First year since border easing, international visitors hit 72% of pre-Covid 14th June 2023 /

First year since border easing, international visitors hit 72% of pre-Covid

One year after New Zealand’s borders started opening, the country’s major source markets have seen substantial increases in arrivals and are closing in on pre-Covid levels.


Domestic travel spending intentions remain weak – survey 14th June 2023 /

Domestic travel spending intentions remain weak – survey

Plans for domestic travel spending over the next three to six months remain weak with Kiwis pessimistic about the economy, according to Tony Alexander’s latest spending plans survey.


Tourism recovery reduces Q1 trade deficit 6th June 2023

Tourism recovery reduces Q1 trade deficit

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.


Tourism bolsters Rotorua business confidence 26th May 2023 /

Tourism bolsters Rotorua business confidence

Rotorua businesses are feeling more upbeat about the future of the city, according to the latest Business Pulse report by RotoruaNZ.


Bookings point to strong northern summer travel – IATA 22nd May 2023 /

Bookings point to strong northern summer travel – IATA

The International Air Transport Association has reported high levels of confidence among travellers for the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season.


Global tourism recovery hits 80% of pre-Covid, Asia Pacific 54% – UNWTO 17th May 2023 /

Global tourism recovery hits 80% of pre-Covid, Asia Pacific 54% – UNWTO

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.


Bumper summer sees West Coast visitor spend jump as internationals return 4th May 2023 /

Bumper summer sees West Coast visitor spend jump as internationals return

The region’s tourism has bounced back from a difficult pandemic, buoyed by the return of foreign tourists.


Global travel & tourism bounces back to 95% of pre-Covid – WTTC 3rd May 2023 /

Global travel & tourism bounces back to 95% of pre-Covid – WTTC

The industry is expected to generate US$9.5tn in 2023 and surpass pre-Covid earnings next year.


Feb international visitors reach 64% of pre-Covid 14th April 2023 /

Feb international visitors reach 64% of pre-Covid

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.


Kiwi support for international tourism highest in five years – survey 13th April 2023 /

Kiwi support for international tourism highest in five years – survey

But Angus & Associates says the industry must remain “very mindful of sharing tourism’s benefits and eliminating its burdens”.


Survey: domestic travel spend sentiment turns positive – just 11th April 2023 /

Survey: domestic travel spend sentiment turns positive – just

Plans to spend more on domestic travel have turned positive for the first time since November 2022, according to Tony Alexander’s April spending plans survey.


TECNZ lowers 2023 expectations but forecasts faster full recovery 31st March 2023 /

TECNZ lowers 2023 expectations but forecasts faster full recovery

Increasing visitor expenditure and longer stays also prompts the association to increase its spending guidance.


Strong visitor demand, food export opportunity brings A380 back to Chch 28th March 2023 /

Strong visitor demand, food export opportunity brings A380 back to Chch

“The challenge we have at the moment is capacity meeting demand,” says Emirates’ regional manager in NZ, Chris Lethbridge.


“Important to take long-term view” – Alpe on industry challenges 27th March 2023 /

“Important to take long-term view” – Alpe on industry challenges

Aging products, a lack of capital investment during the pandemic, and staff shortages will be key challenges for New Zealand’s tourism industry, says Jucy cofounder and LyLo managing director Tim Alpe.


Govt provides another $25m for cyclone-affected businesses 16th March 2023 /

Govt provides another $25m for cyclone-affected businesses

The government is providing a further $25m in grants to help more businesses in cyclone-affected regions with the clean-up and to get them back up and running.