ITC Industry News Bulletin #40
TOP STORIES
Visitors spending increases 31 per cent from 2014
Every week there seems to be new data depicting the exponential rise of international visitors to NZ and this week is no exception. According to a recent survey, spending by international visitors has increased by 31 per cent since 2014.
Visitors from Australia, China and the US are our largest markets, spending $2.4bn, $1.6bn and $1bn respectively.
Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett told Newshub that this is further evidence of tourism’s burgeoning success.
“It’s now worth $10.6bn, or nearly five percent of our GDP, and one in every eight people employed are now directly or indirectly related to tourism,” she said.
‘Fierce competition’ predicted for Langham Hotel
One of Auckland’s most popular 5-star hotels, The Langham (which is also coincidently located opposite ITC’s City Campus), is up for sale.
Rob Cross, the national director of CBRE Hotels Australia, New Zealand, says he expects the sale will generate a lot of interest from investors.
“This will be a fiercely competitive process, as investors understand the value of the hotel and future development opportunity on offer, so we’re actively engaging with our clients and the wider international market,” Mr Cross said.
The second-largest hotel in New Zealand, The Langham has a total of 411 rooms, an award-winning spa, several dining rooms and excellent conference facilities. The ITC Graduation is held in The Langham’s Grand Room every year.
IN BRIEF
Super-jumbo upgrade for world’s longest flight
At the moment of writing (9:02am, March 3), the world’s longest flight is currently in the air. Having departed Auckland at 9:30pm last night, the Emirates service to Dubai is expected to take a total of 17 hours and 15 minutes. To celebrate this milestone, Emirates decided to fly one of its Airbus A380 super-jumbo jets instead of its smaller Boeing 777-200LR which will be used for this route moving forward. Read more.
New Zealand makes list of world’s most powerful passports
Kiwi passport holders are among some of the luckiest travellers in the world, with 171 visa-free countries to visit. According to rankings by Henley & Partners, New Zealand is the seventh most powerful passport in the world. Germany tops the list. Read more.
[Kevin Bowler Interview] The man who sold New Zealand
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the chief executive of Tourism New Zealand? Now you can find out thanks to this in-depth NZ Herald interview. Read more.
Cruise ship passengers to New Zealand not being counted accurately
Thousands of cruise ship visitors to New Zealand have not been accurately accounted for in visitor statistics, it has been revealed. Cruise New Zealand Chairman Kevin O’Sullivan is calling for change. Read more.
Chinese New Year drives record month for NZ Tourism
January was a busy month for NZ Tourism thanks to Chinese visitors arriving early to celebrate the Chinese New Year. February is also expected to break records. Read more.
Posted in News, Travel and Tourism News | Tagged Emirates, NZ Tourism, The Langham, Tourism New Zealand | Leave a reply