Australia helps shore up declining NZ arrivals figures

AUCKLAND – Australia has again shown its importance to New Zealand’s tourism industry, with Australian arrivals helping to hold up declines from other markets.



Recognising this, Tourism New Zealand has moved forward NZ$2 million (about US$1.17 million) in campaign spending to run its What’s On campaign in Australia during summer for the first time.



”Australia is holding up at the moment but we cannot take any market for granted in the current climate. The additional spending, and a new look to the campaign, focusing on experiences, should help to keep us top of mind for those Australians still planning summer breaks," Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) chief executive George Hickton said.



Statistics New Zealand figures out yesterday showed visitor arrivals dropped over four percent in November compared with the same month last year.



Arrivals from Australia rose nearly two percent in November, offsetting sharp declines in arrivals from most major Asian markets. Arrivals from Europe were down over two percent.



TNZ is planning a burst of marketing activity this year, with campaigns running in the US, China and the UK.