Buoyant Start To Summer Tourism Season

Media Release

Buoyant Start To Summer Tourism Season

As many New Zealanders settle back into work this week, tourism operators around the country are counting the gains of a successful start to summer – in spite of the weather.

The Christmas-New Year holiday season has been one of the most successful on record in many parts of the country, boding well for the remainder of the peak season, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Fiona Luhrs says.

A TIA survey of Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) and operators from around the country shows visitor numbers and activity in many areas were well above previous years.

“It’s great to see both New Zealanders and international visitors making the most of the world-class activities and attractions our country has to offer. Although many outdoor activity operators were hampered by the poor weather over the Christmas-New Year period, other tourism sectors, including accommodation (from hotels to holiday parks) and transport, have reported record numbers,” Ms Luhrs says.

Some of the highlights from around the country include:
• Northland tourism operators say business is up by as much as 30 percent in some cases
• In Rotorua, attractions such as the Agrodome have had a record period
• The door count at the new Ruapehu i-SITE visitor centre for the first few days of January was 85 percent higher than the same period in 2006
• An extra 25,000-30,000 people were estimated to be in Gisborne over the New Year period, many attracted by the Rhythm and
Vines Festival
• West Coast guiding companies in the glacier region reached their maximum daily allocations on walks and heli-hikes on at least one day
• Restaurants and supermarkets in Twizel reported record days and turnover at the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook was up 13 percent during the New Year period
• The newly expanded and improved Lake Wanaka i-SITE visitor centre reported a 33 percent growth in turnover for the first part of January, while bed nights in the resort were similar to the 2005-06 peak period
• Cromwell has 29 new motel units this season and all were fully booked over the peak season, with people being sent as far as Roxburgh to get accommodation if they had not pre-booked.
“While the official statistics for the season will not be available for several weeks, it’s evident from this initial feedback that in most areas it has been one of the busiest Christmas-New Year periods for some time,” Ms Luhrs says.
“TIA Members are also reporting strong forward bookings through to April, boding well for the industry in 2007.”

Key statistics about tourism:
 Tourism is the world's fastest growing industry
 New Zealand tourism arrivals have doubled in size since 1994 to 2.38 million
 Forecast annual growth is 4% on average for at least the next five years
 Tourism is New Zealand's single largest export sector and contributed $8.1 billion dollars to the economy in the year ended March 2004. That is 18.7% of exports
 Domestic tourism contributes $9.4 billion to the economy each year
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 Tourism directly and indirectly employs 10 percent of the work force. That is one in 10 jobs in New Zealand.
 Tourism represents 9% of gross domestic product and generates nearly $526 million in GST returns from international visitors each year. Tourism is the only export sector whose international clients pay GST.

ENDS

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