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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ITC Industry News Bulletin #73

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, tourism is NZ’s top export, Taranaki has been named as the second-best destination to visit in 2017, and much more.

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New Zealand’s top export announced: Tourism

New Zealand has long been known for its exports in dairy and agriculture, but new data has shown that tourism is now the number one export for the country.

In the year ending March 2016, the international tourism market drew $14.5 billion to the economy. Plus, more than 188,000 people are directly employed within the industry.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler, who is leaving the role after seven years in the position, is extremely proud of the result.

“The impact of tourism spend is far ranging, benefiting retail owners, supermarkets, petrol stations, restaurants and cafes in addition to accommodation and travel spend” he added.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #72

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, Air New Zealand continues to rake in awards, Queenstown has been named the top destination in Australasia, and much more.

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Queenstown named Top Destination in World Travel Awards 

Queenstown was named the Top Destination in Australasia in the World Travel Awards this week.

This is the second time the town has won the award – it first received the honour in 2014. This year, Queenstown was up against fellow nominees Bora Bora, Auckland, the Gold Coast, the Whitsunday Islands, the Yasawa Islands in Fiji, and last year’s winner, Sydney.

Queenstown’s array of adventure activities, unbelievable scenery, food and wine scene, and relaxed culture no doubt helped it take the top spot, which is decided on by popular vote.

Additionally, New Zealand as a country won the award for being Australasia’s leading adventure tourism destination. With destinations such as Queenstown and Rotorua on offer, Aotearoa seems a shoe-in for this award year after year.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #71

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is ranked as one of the safest countries in the world, the Otago Rail Trail continues to attract high numbers, and more.

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New Zealand ranks as one of the safest countries in the world

 A Travel and Tourism Report from the World Economic Forum has just listed New Zealand as the seventh safest country in the world – and a top contender in several other areas as well.

The report is used to create benchmarks in 141 different economies around the world, using 14 different pillars with dozens of indicators. Safety and security is just one of those pillars, and can be used to give travellers an idea of what they can expect from a country.

Finland took the top spot in first place, Australia landed a place as the 13^th safest country in the world, and the US trailed behind in 73^rd.

New Zealand also managed good scores in ‘international openness’ in which it ranked third, and ‘business environment’ in which it ranked eighth.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #70

In this week’s travel and tourism news, Auckland welcomes a new Chinese airline, it’s Fijian Language Week in New Zealand, and much more.

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New Chinese airline for NZ 

As tourism ties between China and New Zealand continue to strengthen, another Chinese airline is due to start flying to Auckland. Hainan Airlines will commence a thrice-weekly service between Auckland and Shenzhen in the near future.

The general manager of Auckland Airport, Norris Carter, is celebrating the addition of this new service, saying that it opens up further tourism opportunities.

“This non-stop service will not only grow the number of visitors from Southern China, it will also give Chinese travellers further connecting flight options to Auckland from other areas in China through the extensive Hainan Airlines’ network,” he said.

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