NZ reports Aussie leisure rise

NZ reports Aussie leisure rise
By admin


Leisure visitors from Australia to New Zealand are on the rise this year, with the destination’s tourism body underlining the role of travel agents in delivering that growth.

Tim Burgess, Tourism New Zealand general manager Australia, referred to April figures which revealed the number of holidaymakers crossing the Tasman rose 6.3% for the month, year on year.

“The visiting friends and relatives sector is slightly in decline so overall remains reasonably flat,” he told Travel Today. “But we’re really happy that the percentage of holiday visitors is in growth.”

The fact that Easter fell in April 2012 and not in April 2013 makes the growth figure all the more pleasing, he added.

Burgess highlighted the role of the Australian travel trade in achieving the positive result from the sector.

“For first time visitors, the travel trade is critical," he said. “For a long time we were more focused on the product manager type level which is still really important, but it’s the agents on the front line that are actually talking to customers.”

Last year, the travel trade accounted for 24% of all Australian visitors to NZ and 28% of all Australian expenditure in the destination.

“The simple logic there is that the travel trade delivers higher value visitors,” Burgess said.

Online retailers accounted for 6% over the same period, with direct bookings proving most popular with repeat visitors that are more familiar with the destination.

Latest News

  • Aviation

Air Vanuatu cancels all flights to Australia, files for insolvency

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded across the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand after Air Vanuatu cancelled a slew off flights across the region. Riddled with technical faults over the last year, Air Vanuatu filed for insolvency on Monday and has cancelled flights to and from Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland until at least Sunday. The Vanuatu […]

  • Destinations

Tropical North Queensland action-packed events calendar for adventure enthusiasts

Sporting enthusiasts and adventure seekers are gearing up for an action-packed year in Tropical North Queensland, with a lineup of sports events and adrenaline-pumping experiences set to take centre stage in 2024. Leading the charge is the highly-anticipated return of the Crankworx World Tour ‘Paradise Edition’ to Cairns from 22-26 May 2024. The mountain biking […]

  • Travel Agents

Disney Days returns with Inside Out 2 showing in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland

Time is running out for agents to register their Expression of Interest to an exclusive screening of the much-anticipated Disney and Pixar film, Inside Out 2, hosted by Disney Destinations Australia/New Zealand team and partner United Airlines. Places are limited and applications must be in by 17 May. In addition to the screening of the […]

  • Cruise

Aranui Cruises slashes prices with No Single Supplement and Half Price offers

French Polynesian cargo cruise line Aranui Cruises is slashing thousands off its 2025 Austral and Marquesas Islands cruises with an autumn sale offering 50 per cent off the second guest in a twin share room and no single supplement for solo travellers. On sale until June 21, 2024, Aranui’s 12-day roundtrip voyage from Papeete to […]