Can internationals help make up for any softening in domestic demand this ski season?
More than 200k people have attended events at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre since its opening two years ago.
The ASB Classic in Auckland over summer generated record ticket sales, broadcast numbers, and sponsorship deals.
The number of New Zealanders taking cruise holidays has recovered to 81.2% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR over the whole country are now consistently tracking below last year.
Business travel between China and New Zealand is on the rise, with a 106% increase in corporate clients for the first three months of 2024 compared to last year.
Jason Attewell says the department had to move quickly to find savings in its budget, which led to the sudden suspension of the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates.
But the bank says tourism continues to buck the trend as the post-pandemic recovery in travel continues.
Queenstown is the country’s most sought-after winter destination, followed by city breaks in Auckland and Christchurch, according to Airbnb.
The airline says the ongoing softening of its domestic market and a highly competitive North American route could take up to $50m off its full-year profit.
The number of New Zealanders visiting Fiji during January and February 2024 is up 15% on the same months last year, says Tourism Fiji.
Wellington’s hotel market hit a 2024 low in early April but has managed to bounce back – at least for now – according to figures from STR.
The destination’s spa & wellness industry generated $278m in visitor spend in 2023.
Domestic air transport prices for the March 2024 quarter rose 0.1% compared with the same period last year, according to Stats NZ’s latest Consumers Price Index.
Passenger numbers at Auckland Airport reached 1.69 million in March 2024, up 12% from the previous year and a recovery of 90.4% compared with the same month in pre-Covid 2019.
International passenger numbers at Queenstown Airport totalled 70,118 in March 2024, up 26.9% on the same month in pre-Covid 2019.
Tourism Export Council of New Zealand has taken a more conservative outlook on the pace of the country’s tourism recovery.
Chinese New Year helped drive visitor arrivals from China in February 2024, lifting that market to a four-year high as its recovery from the pandemic continued.
The price of international air transport has dropped 15.1% in March 2024 compared with the same month last year, according to Stats NZ’s selected price indexes.
Bookings from Australia to New Zealand have grown 15% in the first three months of 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to data from Flight Centre Travel Group’s large-market business travel division FCM Travel.
Spending in the hospitality category was $1.35m in March 2024, a 0.7% % increase compared with the same month last year, according to electronic card transaction data from Stats NZ.
Kiwis’ intentions to spend on domestic travel remain negative but people are more positive about heading overseas, according to Tony Alexander’s latest spending plans survey.
Christchurch was the only metropolitan market to start April above the results for the same period last year, according to figures from STR.
There could be up to 200 fewer cruise ship port visits to New Zealand next season in part due to cost increases in a globally competitive market, says Jacqui Lloyd.
The value of building consents issued for hotels, motels and other short term accommodation for February 2024 was $8m, a decline of 65.2% from the same month last year.
Seasonally adjusted transport, postal, and warehousing emissions decreased 2.6%, or 44 kilotonnes in the December 2023 quarter compared with the previous quarter, says Stats NZ.
“We’re no longer talking about recovery,” says the global industry group, with the sector now supporting 348 million jobs – more than in pre-Covid.
The value of art, recreation and other services sales by Māori authorities and related businesses in the December 2023 quarter was $68m, according to data from Stats NZ.
Occupancy across Auckland’s hotel market fell sharply as summer ended and autumn took hold, according to figures from STR.
More than 220,000 visitors flowed into Auckland Stadiums’ three venues, Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Western Springs Stadium, and North Harbour Stadium.
Filled jobs in accommodation and food services increased by 2.8% in February 2024 compared with the same month last year, according to Stats NZ.
Air New Zealand carried 1.3 million passengers in February 2023, a recovery of almost 92.2% on the same month in pre-Covid 2019 and up 8.7% on 2023.
More than 39,000 international student visa holders are currently in New Zealand, about 62% of the pre-Covid peak, according to government figures.
Accommodation and food services businesses are among the top employers offering part-time work, according to figures from Stats NZ.
Occupancy and ADR across New Zealand have dipped from their February highs, according to figures from STR.
Hamilton and Waikato Tourism has launched a digital dashboard with information about visitor spend, accommodation, economic indicators and border crossings.
Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product fell 0.1% in the three months ended December 2023, according to Stats NZ, driven by weak consumer spending and wholesale trade.
Fierce airline competition on North American routes has driven a 12% fall in airfares and a record number of arrivals from that region at Auckland Airport.
Spending by overseas visitors in New Zealand helped narrow the annual current account deficit for 2023, according to Stats NZ.
Visitor spend in Hauraki Coromandel hit more than $35m in card transactions in February, exceeding pre-Covid, according to its regional tourism organisation.
The major US market is now tracking above pre-Covid, up 20% on January 2020.
Average weekly occupancy across the resort hit 94% in February, according to STR.
Queenstown Airport saw 211,941 passenger movements in February, up 6.9% on the same month in 2019.
Passenger movements at Auckland Airport totalled close to 1.6 million in February 2024, a recovery of 91.4% from the same month in pre-Covid 2019.
A cultural participation survey conducted for Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage has found that 97% of Kiwis participate in at least one or more activities relating to the arts.
Consumer spending in hospitality was $1.27bn in February, according to Stats NZ electronic card transaction data for the month.
Air travel demand across Asia Pacific rose 45.4% in January 2024, compared to the same month last year, according to the International Air Transportation Association.
The Tourism Data Leadership Group welcomes the government’s commitment to invest in a range of new tourism data to support the sector.
The capital’s hotels enjoyed a good February with average weekly occupancy rising to nearly 88%.
Tourism Bay of Plenty has launched a new Destination Insights Dashboard providing data on key aspects of the region’s visitor economy.
