Christchurch & Canterbury

Great Journeys New Zealand has restarted the Coastal Pacific train that runs along the South Island’s east coast.

A new isite is coming to central Christchurch at The Grand, the former post office building at Cathedral Square.

An earthquake measuring 6.0 struck South Canterbury at 9.14am today.

The government is providing $10m from the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund for Canterbury Museum’s redevelopment.

Christchurch Attractions is restarting its Punting on the Avon tours from the Worcester Bridge site from today.

Around 1,000 ‘play practitioners’, researchers, educators, and businesses will converge on Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in 2026 for the International Play Association World Conference.

Adventure South has launched a new food tour across the Alps to Ocean bike trail for the coming season.

The George Hotel in Christchurch and Hulbert House in Queenstown have won accolades at the World Travel Awards in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanmer Thermal Pools & Spa is introducing two new hydroslides to its offerings, due to open on 11 October.

The Department of Conservation has opened consultation on a plan to restore and revive the Rakitata (Rangitata) River in Canterbury.

More than 300 delegates including 200 travel agents are gathering in Auckland this week for the Travel Managers Australia conference at Te Pae Christchurch.

LyLo has opened the doors to its revamped Christchurch and Queenstown accommodations.

Hurunui Tourism hopes to turn the region’s destination management plan into action.

Despite not hosting any FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, Christchurch’s hotels still appear to benefiting, according to figures from STR.

Christchurch operator Jet Junkies has pulled its application for jet ski tours to view marine mammals in Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour.

The community raised its concerns over the impact of cruise, with some solutions particularly welcomed.

The New Zealand Cruise Association and ChristchurchNZ will meet tonight with the Lyttelton community to discuss the impact of the cruise season and what they want to see from the sector.

The George hotel in Christchurch has reopened after undergoing interior and exterior renovations.

Timaru District Council has launched a new online platform to streamline the process of booking venues.

Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch has introduced a new siamang gibbon to its family.

Toka Tū Ake EQC has renewed its sponsorship of the Quake City exhibition at Canterbury Museum for another three years.

Hospitality New Zealand says other councils should follow Christchurch City Council’s lead after the Environment Court allowed it to require consent from short-term rental accommodation providers.

Christchurch Attractions is partnering with the Central City Business Association and Salvation Army in an effort to provide more warmth for the city’s vulnerable people.

The nature cruise operator on its “fantastic” post-Covid recovery despite staffing and promotional challenges at the small town.

The Matariki long weekend gave operators a welcome boost over the final stretch of the school holidays with decent weather also helping to fill tours and attract customers.

Around 200 delegates are expected to attend the Bus and Coach Association’s 2023 conference in Christchurch at the Wolfbrook Arena this September.

Christchurch Attractions is giving visitors the opportunity to punt along the Avon River during the city’s Tirama Mai festival.

The Queenstown-based operator is selling four businesses but also investing in an asset to serve its popular Walter Peak attraction.

The Sail Grand Prix generated $13.9m for Christchurch’s regional economy and contributed to total visitor spend of $8.1m, according to the event’s organiser.

International luxury demand is re-emerging, so what are the key priorities for the operator?

The valuable market gets a lift with direct flights from the mainland to the South Island to resume and a new tech partnership.

Canterbury Museum will open its pop-up museum in Christchurch with a free exhibition starting on the Matariki public holiday on 14 July.

RotoruaNZ, HOT Events and Kim Chan Events have been crowned the winners of the Best Stand Awards at MEETINGS 2023.

The 2023 Christchurch, Canterbury and West Coast Destination Showcase will be held in Auckland this year.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds has launched two new historical-based workshops for teachers.

A claim from Environment Canterbury that cruise is impacting public transport in Christchurch has left the cruise industry bemused.

Christchurch Airport has signed up to buy the world’s first Rosenbauer Electric Fire Truck to operate at an airport.

Wolfbrook Property Group has secured naming rights for the now-named Wolfbook Arena in Christchurch for five years.

Singapore Airlines is boosting seasonal capacity to Auckland and Christchurch from November.

NZSki’s Mt Hutt will host a four-day celebration this August to mark 50 years of ski field operations.

Buyers at TRENZ have a new understanding of what is on offer across the Ashburton District.

ChristchurchNZ chief executive Ali Adams is confident the region’s destination management plan will be put into action despite no clear method of how it will be funded.

“I think the question around implementation of destination management plans, that’s still to be determined,” said ChristchurchNZ chief executive Ali Adams at TRENZ yesterday.

“The funding to develop the plan was provided by MBIE, and we have tried to make that funding go as far as possible by linking it with our own funding around city identity and doing that as a total package, which makes it much more effective and efficient, and so that’s been very valuable,” said Adams.

ChristchurchNZ was allocated $1.9m for two destination management plans as part of the wider $26.8m Tourism Communities: Support, Recovery and Re-Set Plan. These include one for Banks Peninsula with $400,000, and a $1.5m one for Christchurch and the broader surrounding region. Both are expected to be completed next month.

“The key here is that I genuinely believe we have brought our partners along for the journey,” said Adams.

“We can’t implement as an RTO all the things that are going to come out of a destination management plan, they’re going to cover a much broader range, whether it’s [Environment Canterbury] or the [Christchurch] City Council, or whoever else might have a role to play.”

Adams said ChristchurchNZ’s role has been to educate and bring those stakeholders with them on the DMP journey.

“Implementation of the destination management plans, for example, will form part of our long-term plan submission to council… because it’s pointless having a plan if we don’t actually implement it.

“So has it been determined – no, am I confident that it will be in place? Yes, I am actually confident we’ve done that management.”

She said ChristchurchNZ was also “unashamedly looking at attracting tourism here at scale”.
“We do need to do it in a way that absolutely is regenerative and thinks about the other capitals that we have our social capital and our physical and environmental capital – that goes without saying.

“But we do have the infrastructure in place to genuinely be making Christchurch a destination in its own right and looking to increase the length of that stay.”

Christchurch Airport and Tourism New Zealand have formed a three-year partnership to grow tourism in the South Island.

TIA’s CEO opens TRENZ 2023 at Te Pae Christchurch before an industry elated at the return of the event’s full programme.

The city will host two large industry events next week, with TRENZ and GwT’s careers expo lined up back to back.

Nearly 130k delegates have visited the venue since it opened on 2 May last year.

How has the pandemic changed airline strategies? How can NZ attract airlines? Lufthansa Consulting’s Arvind Chandrasekhar will answer these and other burning questions at the Auckland Airport New Zealand Tourism Forum.

The Auckland Airport New Zealand Tourism Forum is back for 2023, with an exceptional line-up of speakers including award-winning Māori business leader, Microsoft’s Dan Te Whenua Walker.

Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1950s Antarctic expedition tractor, a giant globe, and other large objects have been removed from Canterbury Museum before its redevelopment.

With United Airlines soon to reconnect Christchurch direct to the USA, Christchurch Airport is becoming even more than the ‘gateway to the South Island’, writes Nick Ashley, airline development manager for the airport.