ITC Industry News Bulletin #33
In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand hotels enjoyed great growth in 2015, affordable AirAsia X flights are coming to Auckland and much more.
TOP STORIES
NZ hotels increase yield & productivity in 2015
2015 was an excellent year for New Zealand hotels, according to new statistics published by the Tourism Industry Association (TIA). The average occupancy rate was 79 per cent – the highest it’s been in years. The revenue per available room was up 13 per cent compared to 2014.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts says although the “upward trend is encouraging”, the industry still has room for improvement.
“Hotel revenues in New Zealand are still below what is being achieved in Australia and high land and construction costs in New Zealand remain a barrier,” Mr Roberts said.
He believes more investment in hotel infrastructure is needed in order to meet Tourism 2025 goals.
“It is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities,” he said.
AirAsia X to land in Auckland in March
Southeast Asia’s budget airline, AirAsia X, is returning to the New Zealand market in March. To celebrate, extremely affordable fares to the Gold Coast and Kuala Lumpur are on sale.
Flights to the Gold Cost start at $99, while flights to Kuala Lumpur start at $249.
General manager of aeronautical commercial at Auckland Airport, Norris Carter, said the new flights were good news for the tourism industry.
“We expect this new AirAsia X service between Kuala Lumpur and Auckland will further grow visitor numbers, especially for free independent travellers,” he said.
IN BRIEF
Queenstown NZONE Skydive makes Forbes list
An adventure tourism company in Queenstown has been named by Forbes as one of the top 11 places to skydive in 2016. NZONE business development manager Derek Melnick told 3 News that the team is “pretty stoked” to be on the list. Read more.
Nearly 50,000 Chinese tourists arrive in NZ for February’s Golden Week
Thousands of Chinese tourists are expected to visit New Zealand in early February, during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. Read more.
Teen solves air travel’s germ problem
A 17-year-old has devised a solution to germs spreading on airplanes. Young Raymond Wang recently unveiled his idea in a recent TED Talk – here’s hoping airlines will be keen to adopt this technology soon! Read more.
Singapore Airlines could soon land in Wellington, via Australia’s capital
Another international airline may be coming to Wellington Airport. Singapore Airlines is expected to announce a new route that includes Wellington in the coming weeks: watch this space. Read more.
[Just for fun]: Cool cruise destinations
Thinking about exploring the world by sea in 2016? Stuff.co.nz has put together a list of great places to visit by cruise this year. Read more.
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