New Zealand Tourism Continues Growing

New Zealand tourism forecasts released at the annual tourism industry conference TRENZ in Rotorua predict continuous growth for New Zealand tourism.

Numbers of visitors are expected to increase from 2.9 million in 2014 to 3.8m in 2021. Particularly Australians and Chinese are choosing New Zealand as a travel destination more often.

“Chinese visitors have changed their holidaying behaviour markedly in recent years”, said Michael Bird, general manager institutions and system performance for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

“They are staying longer, visiting more regions, doing a greater range of activities and spending more”.

Over the next seven years it is predicted that Chinese visitor numbers will “surpass Australia as New Zealand’s biggest spending tourist market”.

Visitor spending is expected to rise to $NZ11.1 billion by 2021. That also has a positive impact on the tourism workforce, which is “set to grow almost 40 per cent by 2025, creating an extra 36,000 full time jobs.”

According to Chris Roberts, Tourism Industry Association chief executive the growth in tourism was “great news for the country”.

“But it also presents us with challenges, in particular, how we are going to service all our visitors and ensure they enjoy an outstanding visitor experience.”

Article Source: Daily Mail, May 18, 2015.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org