ITC Industry News Bulletin #67
In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, visitor records are broken yet again, a gondola is proposed for the top of a major glacier, and much more.
TOP STORIES
Gondola proposed for top NZ glacier
The Franz Josef Glacier is one of New Zealand’s top attractions, and a recent proposal to add a gondola to the experience could make it even more popular.
Skyline Enterprises, the company behind the gondolas in central Queenstown and Rotorua, have proposed a new feature gondola that runs alongside and above the Franz Josef Glacier. This would allow visitors a closer, easier, and more affordable look at this incredible location.
At this stage, the glacier is only accessible by helicopter, which minimises the number of people who can visit the site.
The plans will now be discussed by the Department of Conservation and other groups in order to weigh up the pros and cons of such an installation.
New guest night records for July throughout New Zealand
Both domestic and international visitor stays all over the country saw all-time highs for every type of accommodation in July. This increase is yet another sign of New Zealand’s booming tourism industry.
In total, 11 out of 12 of New Zealand’s regions reported more guest nights than the same time a year ago, and the overall rate was up by 6.9 per cent from July 2015. This brought the number of guest nights to a massive 2.6 million for the month, with the northland region in the lead with a 23 per cent increase.
As per usual, international visitors were from our largest markets in China, the US, and Australia. There were in fact 237,900 overseas visitor arrivals throughout July, which is another record-breaking figure for the month.
IN BRIEF
Inaugural Kiwi Link event headed to South America
Tourism New Zealand Kiwi Link events seek to introduce local tourism operators to overseas markets, and for the first time ever, a contingency will head to South America to drum up interest. Just 23 operators will meet with 260 travel agents across Brazil and Argentina for the event this week. Read more
New tourism venture announced in Tekapo
Earth and Sky runs the fantastic Mt John Observatory in Tekapo, and Ngai Tahu Tourism operates countless attractions around the country. These two major NZ tourism players have just announced a joint multi-million venture in Tekapo that promises to be an exciting new gem in the country’s travel crown. Read more
Star Alliance offers one lucky winner two round-the-world tickets
One lucky winner will receive two round the world-the-world tickets, seated in business class, after entering a travel competition. Each entrant must correctly guess the seven locations featured in the ‘Where in the World’ campaign by September 30. Read more
Tourism New Zealand tries new sales platform
Tourism NZ this week continues in its efforts to encourage visitors through the shoulder season by partnering with Travelzoo and Expedia, two major digital sales platforms for attractions and accommodation. Online campaigns and email newsletters will further advertise what New Zealand has to offer through these travel booking giants. Read more
Effects of 2017 Lions Tour already being felt
The 10 matches between the British Lions and the Kiwi All Blacks aren’t due to start until June next year, but accommodation providers in New Zealand are already seeing rooms booked out for the event. Chief Executive of All Blacks Hospitality has said there has already been high demand for Auckland and Wellington accommodation during the tour. Read more
Tourism summit coming to Wellington
The 2016 Tourism Industry Aoteroa summit is heading to Wellington on November 9, and will give leaders and stakeholders a chance to discuss new challenges and opportunities in the coming years for the industry. With the help of international experts, TIA plans to continue working towards its goal of $41 billion tourism revenue by 2025. Read more
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