Tourism by numbers: Five key stats about NZ tourism

With scenery like this, it’s easy to see why New Zealand attracts millions of visitors each year.

It’s no secret that tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries. But just how big and how important is tourism for our country? That’s a story best told in numbers.

Here are five key stats about New Zealand tourism to help you better understand the significance of the industry.

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Why now is the perfect time to study tourism in New Zealand

Can you imagine working in a place like this? Queenstown is one of NZ’s most-loved tourist towns – and just one of the many amazing places you could work with a qualification from ITC.

It’s never too late to kickstart your tourism career with ITC. But if you’re looking for the ‘perfect time’ to join this exciting industry, it’s now!

A total of 3.5 million international visitors came to New Zealand last year, making 2016 one of the biggest tourism years on record – and 2017 is shaping up to be even better.

With so many visitors coming to our beautiful country, the tourism industry needs more skilled workers than ever.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #81

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is rated the friendliest country in the world, Te Papa is named as NZ’s best tourist destination, and much more.

Happy New Year! Welcome to another edition of the ITC Industry News Bulletin, bringing you the latest airline, travel and tourism news from around New Zealand. We’ll be changing the format of the Bulletin to an email newsletter in the near future – watch this space! We’ll keep you posted as the transition happens, but in the meantime please enjoy the news :)

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New Zealand tops list of world’s friendliest countries

The Legatum Institute recently released its Prosperity Index, and while New Zealand gained first place out of 149 countries for prosperity, it also came in first in terms of social capital – of friendliness.

Using 10 years of data, the index takes into account a number of different factors and uses them to judge a nation’s overall prosperity. Social capital is a big part of the study, and New Zealand’s top ranking in this sub-category helped it gain the number one spot overall. This should come as no surprise to locals and visitors who already know about the country’s incredible reputation for kindness.

Norway and Finland came in second and third consecutively, while neighbours Australia also made the top 10 in sixth place.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #80

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand celebrates 15 years as Middle Earth, Air New Zealand releases a new safety video, and much more.

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New Zealand celebrates 15 years as Middle Earth

In 2001, Peter Jackson launched the first Lord of the Rings film and began a journey that turned the country into a real-life Middle Earth. Now, 15 years later, Tourism New Zealand is celebrating what turned out to be a massive boon for the industry.

The three Lord of the Rings films, as well as The Hobbit prequel trilogy, were filmed throughout the country. Filming locations and Matamata’s Hobbiton recreation are now lasting attractions for visiting tourists and locals alike.

Alongside a short video, the company has created a quiz that will help determine which character you might be, as well as handy guides on what to pack for a trip to Middle Earth depending on the outcome.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #78

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, NZ is dominating Indian travel searches, Christchurch Adventure Park is set to open, and much more.

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New Zealand the most searched destination by Indian travellers

Following Sidharth Malhotra’s extremely successful second visit to New Zealand, Skyscanner has released data that shows New Zealand is at the top of Indian travellers’ searches.

In fact, the volume of searches has increased by 52 per cent. Australia trailed not far behind with a 47 per cent increase in searches.

Much of this success has been put down to Malhotra’s genuine love of the country. During one of his visits he said “I feel like I am in paradise. It’s heaven on earth”.

During his time in New Zealand, the Bollywood star enjoyed visits to major cities as well as rural areas, experiencing some of the country’s most iconic attractions such as the Sky Tower walk, bungy jumping in Queenstown, and a tour of Hobbiton in the Waikato.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #77

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, an intriguing new attraction has been discovered off the coast of Kaikoura, Airbnb launches a new feature, and much more.

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New Kaikoura attraction surfaces after quakes

Soon after the recent earthquake in Kaikoura, it became obvious that the town’s usually thriving tourism scene had been dealt a major blow. It hasn’t taken long, however, for the town to start bouncing back. 

Kaikoura Kayaks crew Matt Foy and Conner Stapley noticed a strange bubbling in Whaler’s Bay, and it looks set to become a new attraction for both visitors and scientists alike. The water bubbles cover a space of roughly 100 metres across the bay.

Stapley has already informally named the bubbles ‘Hope Springs’, which are believed to be a mix of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide that are being released from the ocean seabed. More scientists will soon be on their way to further study the phenomenon.

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Love helping people? A career in travel & tourism could be your calling

In particular, airports are a great place to work if you love helping others.

If you love helping people, you probably desire a meaningful career. Perhaps you’ve considered becoming a counsellor, teacher, social worker or nurse? Or maybe you dream of one day working for a charity?

These are all fantastic career choices for compassionate individuals, but you might want to add another option to your list of altruistic careers: travel and tourism.

According to a recent survey by the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC), many respondents said the best thing about working in travel and tourism is helping others.

“I love helping people and interacting with them – knowing that I could help or assist someone with something makes me happy,” said one ITC graduate, Nadine Semuelu.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #76

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is ‘open for business’ after the quakes, regional tourism has received further funding, and much more.

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New Zealand still ‘open for business’ in wake of quakes

On Monday November 14, another major quake struck the South Island of New Zealand. Measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, it has caused damage to areas between Christchurch and Wellington, but Tourism New Zealand wants the world to know that the country is still open for business.

The main point to note is that while one area has certainly been affected, the rest of the country is still perfectly safe and is welcoming visitors with open arms. Any visitors wishing to travel between Christchurch and Picton or Blenheim won’t be able to travel along State Highway 1 and will have to take the inland route or fly instead.

“At this stage, it is impossible to predict the long-term impact the earthquake may have on tourism,” said Tourism NZ in a statement.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #75

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand celebrates a record-breaking year in tourism (and has been named as the best country in the world).

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New Zealand officially the best country in the world

New Zealand has come out on top as the best country to live in on the planet, according to research from a Legatum Institute think tank.

The decision was based on a range of factors, including health, social ties, governance, nature, education, freedom, security, and business opportunities. New Zealand still won first place (despite the fact that many countries are wealthier) – largely thanks to its ability to turn wealth into prosperity. 

New Zealand was followed by Norway in second place and Finland in third. Our Tasman neighbours Australia also made the top 10 at sixth place.

“Free markets, free people, and the world’s strongest society ensure that New Zealand takes the top spot in the Prosperity Index,” explained the institute.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #74

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, industry leaders predict the end of shoulder seasons, New Zealand wins prestigious luxury tourism accolades, and more.

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Industry leaders predict the end of shoulder seasons

Like many major tourism destinations in the world, New Zealand has long experienced ‘shoulder seasons’ – off-peak times when visitor numbers drop, such as the middle of winter. However, if current trends continue, shoulder seasons may soon become a thing of the past. 

Lake Wakatipu boat operator Wayne Perkins has been in the industry for more than 30 years, and has noticed a huge difference. He told Radio New Zealand that accommodation is full year round, and that the difficulty of acquiring a place to stay in mid-summer and winter suggests that more people are booking in traditionally quieter times.  

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