Australia leads NZ arrivals growth
Tourism New Zealand has been buoyed by a sharp rise in visitor arrivals as trade show TRENZ kicked off in Auckland today.
International arrivals jumped 13% in March to 270,700, with Australia leading the growth
The number of Aussies crossing the Tasman climbed 16%, with the US and UK also turning in strong performances.
The increase can largely be attributed to Easter falling in March, and Tourism NZ chief executive Kevin Bowler warned that April’s figures would see a downturn.
“There are seasonal factors that contributed to this strong March and as a result we expect April’s figure to be weaker,” Bowler said. “Easter was earlier this year which will have supported the rise in Australian visitors in particular.”
Nevertheless, Bowler said the strong March figures, coupled with the increase in funding for Tourism NZ announced last week, made it “a very encouraging start to the 2013 calendar year”.
“For the first three months of 2013, we have seen several of our target markets in growth when compared against last year, topped off by March’s 12.8% growth overall,” he said. “We are extremely positive about the future for the industry.”
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
auckland kevin bowler new nz tourism new zealand tourism nz trenz zealandLatest News
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