Travelers Flock to the Edge

NZ’s booming tourism industry shows no signs of slowing down, with a 20% increase in overseas visitors arriving in July than for the same period last year. According to the Tourism Research Council, tourism will grow by an average of 5.8% a year to reach 3.1 million international visitor arrivals in 2010, up from 2.3 million at 31 July 2004. The majority of these arrivals are, and are likely to continue to be, Australians. Melbourne’s Herald Sun: “The reality is Australians are flocking to NZ in record numbers, lured by cheap airfares and greater airline capacity across the Tasman. And somewhere along the way, NZ has begun to shed its image as Australia’s backward neighbour.”