The region’s tourism has bounced back from a difficult pandemic, buoyed by the return of foreign tourists.
The Easter holiday period has contributed to a rise in retail spending during April.
March visitor spend for Hauraki Coromandel was down 2% compared to the same month the previous year, but events and day visitors boosted numbers across the region.
Electronic card transactions in hospitality reached $1.34bn in March 2023, up about 50.6% from the $891m generated during the same month last year, according to Stats NZ.
Plans to spend more on domestic travel have turned positive for the first time since November 2022, according to Tony Alexander’s April spending plans survey.
Increasing visitor expenditure and longer stays also prompts the association to increase its spending guidance.
Visitor spend across the summer hotspot fell 40% in February due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
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Being unable to afford a New Zealand holiday is the main reason cited by Kiwis who are not planning to take one this year, according to Tourism New Zealand’s latest domestic research.
Electronic card transactions in hospitality reached $1.17bn last month, down slightly from $1.3bn in January but still significantly up by 33.5% on the $876m transacted in February 2022, according to Stats NZ.
Domestic travel spend sentiment has soured and the continuing mechanical issues plaguing Cook Strait ferries do not help, says former BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander.
Travel service exports are continuing on a strong growth trajectory due to a rise in international passenger numbers.
West Coast visitor spend in January 2023 exceeded pre-Covid levels, reaching just over $27.5m across the region, up 10.7% compare to the same month in 2020.
January’s poor weather has seen visitor numbers and spend fall sharply at one of the country’s favourite summer destinations.
Both domestic and international visitor card spend in December 2022 exceeded their corresponding pre-Covid levels, according to the latest Tourism Electronic Card Transactions data.
The return of travel and tourist-related spend saw Kathmandu stores report sales up 51% for the half-year ended 31 January 2023, compared with the same period a year earlier.
Only international travel and grocery spend sentiment remain positive with domestic tourism expenditure plans still lagging, according to Tony Alexander’s latest spending survey.
Paris has been named the world’s most powerful city destination with a travel and tourism sector worth almost US$36.65bn in 2022 – but it may not hold that position for long.
Spending in the hospitality industry increased by 24% or $261m in December 2022 when compared with the same month the previous year, according to Stats NZ.
The trans-Tasman bubble in 2021 helped lift tourism of its pandemic lows in 2020.
People are planning to reduce spending on both domestic and international travel, according to Tony Alexander’s latest spending plans survey.
Retail card spending rose $21m or 0.3% in November 2022 compared with October 2022, when adjusted for seasonal effects, Stats NZ said today.
Many RTO areas are already near their pre-Covid level of foreign spend, with one major market surpassing it.
But the recovery could be stymied by labour shortages and increased costs putting pressure on businesses.
An increase in the number of international travellers has led to a boost in travel service exports and imports, according to Stats NZ.
Foreign visitor spending reached $1.03bn for the September 2022 quarter, according to the International Visitor Survey.
Other financial priorities and affordability are the top reasons preventing Kiwis from planning a holiday.
Tourism spending on the West Coast fell 0.7% in the September 2022 year and guest nights also dropped 8.9%.
Total card spending across New Zealand was $9.1bn in October 2022, up 20.2% from the same month last year.
But international active considerer preference for NZ surges to a six-year high, driven by US and China.
For the first time since the pandemic began, international visitor card spend exceeds pre-Covid levels.
Queenstown’s winter season saw visitor expenditure exceed pre-Covid levels off the back of a strong ski season and the return of events.
Construction of the Department of Conservation’s new Experience Centre at the $26m Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project at Punakaiki is providing a boost for local accommodation and hospitality providers.
Despite borders being open, Kiwis are still enjoying their backyard and overwhelmingly agree that NZ delivers as a holiday destination.
Visitors flocked to Queenstown over winter with total expenditure for June, July and August 2022 up 20% over the same period in pre-Covid 2019.
Actual spending in the hospitality industry reached $1.15bn in August 2022, up 78.2% from $646m the same month last year, according to Stats NZ.
International visitor spending jumped to $182.8m in July 2022, just 9% down from the same month in pre-Covid 2019.
The easing of border restrictions have accounted for more than $77.3m in the food and beverages sector and almost $71.3m in accommodation.
People are generally cutting their overall expenditure but the desire to travel is still strong, says a survey.
International visitor spend grew to $125.4m in the month of June 2022, up 22.7% on the same period last year, according to the latest Tourism Electronic Card Transaction figures.
Consumer spend is improving in merchant groups including hotels and motels, taxis, flight booking companies and movie theatres, but remains below pre-Covid levels.
International visitor spend has reached its highest level since the pandemic began thanks to the easing of New Zealand’s borders.
The first Matariki long weekend provided a welcome lift for the hospitality sector, according to Worldline data.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment plans to restart the International Visitor Survey in July 2022.
Travel exports, or international visitor spend, was just over $1bn in the March 2022 quarter, about the same as the previous corresponding period, according to Stats NZ.
The reopening of New Zealand’s borders does not appear to be dampening Kiwis’ appetites for a domestic holiday, according to an industry report.
Taranaki is among the top seven regions in the country for visitor spend for the year ending February 2022, says Venture Taranaki.
Total tourism expenditure in the Buller District increased by 9.8% in the year to March 2022.
Seasonally adjusted debit and credit card spending rose by $551m or 7% to $8.1bn in April 2022 compared with the previous month, according to Stats NZ.
People’s plans to spend more on international travel over the next 3-6 months appear particularly strong.
