ITC Industry News Bulletin #24
In this week’s industry news, tourism comes closer to toppling dairy as NZ’s top export earner and Waiheke Island is voted as one of the world’s must-visit destinations for 2016, plus much more.
TOP STORIES
Waiheke Island world’s fifth best region: Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has named Waiheke Island as the fifth best place to visit in 2016 – an accolade that is expected to attract thousands of tourists to the island’s beautiful shores.
According to Lonely Planet’s marketing director, Chris Zeiher, Waiheke was chosen for its gorgeous natural beauty and abundance of tourism activities.
The island is “a utopia of secret coves, beautiful beaches, rolling vineyards, luxury lodges and bohemian sensibilities,” Mr Zeiher said in a statement announcing the list.
“In 2016 Waiheke Island is welcoming the world to sample from its abundant offerings and inviting all visitors to fall under its spell,” he added.
Tourism earnings almost trump dairy
The tourism industry is once again hot on the dairy industry’s heels, with earnings coming closer to overtaking dairy exports in the year ended March 2015. Statistics New Zealand released new data this week, revealing tourism to be worth $11.7 billion, compared to dairy at $14.1 billion.
Since this data is for the year ended March, it does not include dairy’s price falls during winter, suggesting the gap between the two industries might now be considerably smaller.
There’s no denying tourism is in a phase of rapid growth, says Tourism Industry Association (TIA) chief executive Chris Roberts.
“New Zealand tourism is enjoying a boom. We are ahead of target to achieve the Tourism 2025 aspirational goal of growing total annual tourism revenue to $41 billion over the next decade,” Mr Roberts said.
He added that tourism is unique as it “supports jobs in every part of New Zealand, often in areas where few other opportunities exist”.
IN BRIEF
Jetstar’s new Wellington-Dunedin service takes to the skies
The new Jetstar service between Wellington and Dunedin began yesterday (October 28), with welcoming celebrations and a warm reception from the South Island city. Jetstar head of New Zealand, Grant Kerr, says the new service is “great for Dunedin’s tourism industry”. Read more.
Beyond the metropoles – Asian dimension grows in small NZ cities
Increased immigration and tourism from Asia is having a positive impact on small cities in New Zealand, a new report from the Asia New Zealand Foundation has revealed. “The mix of tourists, students and skilled migrants is having a very real and positive effect on the economies and growth of regional New Zealand,” says the Foundation’s executive director Simon Draper. Read more.
YHA celebrates sustainability success
YHA New Zealand has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability and the environment in the World Youth Student and Education Global Youth Travel Awards, taking away second place in the Green Accommodation Initiative category. Read more.
Air New Zealand extends use of electronic devices to regional operations
Passengers travelling on regional Air New Zealand flights will be able to keep their electronic devices on (in flight mode) for the duration of the journey from mid next week. Read more.
New Zealand could trial cloud passports in world-first move
An innovative idea raised at a ‘hackathon’ organised by the Australian government could result in ‘cloud passports’ being trialled in Australia and New Zealand. Read more.
Posted in News | Tagged Air New Zealand, dairy industry, Jetstar, Lonely Planet, Tourism Industry, Tourism Industry Association, Waiheke Island, YHA New Zealand | Leave a reply