Regions hit hard by the downturn in international tourism during the pandemic have made a strong recovery.
Increasing visitor expenditure and longer stays also prompts the association to increase its spending guidance.
“The challenge we have at the moment is capacity meeting demand,” says Emirates’ regional manager in NZ, Chris Lethbridge.
International visitor arrivals in January 2023 recovered to almost 65% of that seen in the same month in pre-Covid 2020, according to the latest travel figures from Stats NZ.
International visitor spend is the country’s third highest export for the quarter, says MBIE.
Strong annual increases in inbound visitor numbers are expected in Asia Pacific this year, with between 383 million to 713 million international visitor arrivals.
Tour groups will soon start arriving in volume but is the country ready to welcome back one of its most important source markets?
The return of Chinese tourists and students will give New Zealand’s economy a welcome boost this year as domestic demand wanes, says Westpac.
That equates to 36.7% of the 3.89 million seen in the pre-Covid peak year of 2019.
Inbounders scrambled to rearrange schedules but some overseas visitors had to cancel following Auckland’s floods.
Air New Zealand recorded 1.607 million passengers for the month of December 2022, a 139.1% rise from the same month in 2021.
Biosecurity NZ says the new digital system will give it an opportunity to send relevant messaging to help improve compliance.
International visitor numbers at Queenstown Airport in December tracked 10% above pre-Covid levels.
Overseas visitor arrivals in November 2022 reached 62% of the same month in pre-Covid 2019, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel data.
International tourism recovered 63% of pre-pandemic levels last year, with Europe and Middle East in the lead but Asia Pacific lagging.
Overseas visitor arrivals were 161,631 in the October 2022 month, a 4283% increase compared to the same month last year – when the borders were closed – and recovering to 57% of pre-Covid 2019 figures of 283,834, according to Stats NZ.
Global export revenues from tourism could reach US$1.3tr in 2022, although Asia Pacific’s recovery lags.
But the bank warns a new Covid wave, the cost of living crisis, and China uncertainty could drag growth.
Overseas visitor arrivals increased in September 2022 but are still below the numbers seen for the same month pre-Covid, according to Stats NZ.
The Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee is seeking public feedback on the digitisation of paper arrival cards and other requirements related to border management matters.
Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri says the online data collection will allow visitors to move seamlessly through the arrivals process.
Pedestrian numbers in Napier have reached their highest numbers since Covid-19, boosted by a range of events over the weekend.
Thousands of working holidaymakers on their way to New Zealand will have more flexibility and extended entry rights to help plug labour shortages at Kiwi businesses.
Auckland Airport is advising people travelling over the October school holidays to be patient as it faces its busiest travel period.
International tourism arrivals have reached more than half of pre-pandemic levels but Asia Pacific is lagging.
The Primary Production Committee is seeking public submissions on a plan to increase fines for biosecurity breaches and give officers more powers to refuse entry.
Total border crossings into NZ grow again in August with the opening to non-visa waiver countries.
For the first month since March 2020, the number of overseas visitor arrivals has exceeded 100,000, said Stats NZ.
“Now that our borders are open, tourists are flocking in, regardless of the state of the global economy,” says the bank.
Border crossings have continued along a steady increase in June as numbers hit the highest they had ever been since March 2020.
Arrivals into New Zealand are growing fast as international travel resumes and the border fully reopens, according to Stats NZ’s latest border arrivals data.
The 15-minute survey, conducted by Kantar Public on behalf of MBIE, aims to understand what visitors think about New Zealand in order to improve the visitor experience.
Overseas visitor arrivals rose to 72,800 in May 2022, up 378% compared with the same month last year, according to Stats NZ’s latest travel figures.
The number of border crossings continued to climb in May 2022 as border restrictions eased further, says Stats NZ.
International passengers, excluding transits, reached 281,774, a 108.7% increase from May 2021.
More than a quarter-of-a-million border crossings in April 2022 was the highest for a month since travel restrictions were introduced in March 2020, says Stats NZ.
Daily arrivals to New Zealand exceeded 6,000 on a number of days in May 2022 – the first time that level has been reached since the borders closed in March 2020.
Overseas visitor arrivals were 28,600 in the March 2022 month, up 522% or 24,000 from the same month last year, says Stats NZ.
But domestic numbers took a hit as the NZ’s Omicron wave put a lid on demand.
New Zealand has some advantages once the Chinese government allows its citizens to travel for leisure again.
The easing of the border at 11.59pm on Sunday 1 May allowed vaccinated visitors from around 60 visa waiver countries to enter without needing to isolate.
It’s not just VFR on the way with more than 6000 working holiday visa applications made and 5000 students allowed.
However, it is still far short of the 20,580 recorded for pre-Covid 13 April 2019.
International passengers through Auckland Airport, excluding transits, reached 110,056, a 330.1% increase from 25,590 from March 2021.
Arrivals and departures to and from New Zealand have spiked in March 2022, according to provisional data from Stats NZ.
The association predicts an earlier recovery in visitor arrivals thanks to the latest border re-opening dates.
While the government’s announcement on border reopenings is welcome news, there is still a long way to go for a full international tourism recovery.
Delaying the border easing from January to February saw arrivals, especially from Australia, drop.
The bank says NZ’s current self-iso border requirements will be too prohibitive for potential travellers.
The number of people crossing New Zealand’s border in 2021 was the lowest for a calendar year since 1971.
