ITC Industry News Bulletin #81
In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is rated the friendliest country in the world, Te Papa is named as NZ’s best tourist destination, and much more.
Happy New Year! Welcome to another edition of the ITC Industry News Bulletin, bringing you the latest airline, travel and tourism news from around New Zealand. We’ll be changing the format of the Bulletin to an email newsletter in the near future – watch this space! We’ll keep you posted as the transition happens, but in the meantime please enjoy the news :)
TOP STORIES
New Zealand tops list of world’s friendliest countries
The Legatum Institute recently released its Prosperity Index, and while New Zealand gained first place out of 149 countries for prosperity, it also came in first in terms of social capital – of friendliness.
Using 10 years of data, the index takes into account a number of different factors and uses them to judge a nation’s overall prosperity. Social capital is a big part of the study, and New Zealand’s top ranking in this sub-category helped it gain the number one spot overall. This should come as no surprise to locals and visitors who already know about the country’s incredible reputation for kindness.
Norway and Finland came in second and third consecutively, while neighbours Australia also made the top 10 in sixth place.
Te Papa named as New Zealand’s best tourist attraction
An international poll from the Daily Mail has revealed Te Papa as New Zealand’s top tourist attraction. In most countries around the world, a natural destination was rated as the top spot, making Te Papa something special.
The national museum, located in Wellington, hosts a mix of permanent exhibits that showcase local culture and history, as well as a range of visiting exhibits. The museum recently released 2016 figures that show it was a record-breaking year for visitor numbers with more than 1.8 million people checking out its exhibits.
The Daily Mail used data from TripAdvisor to determine favourite picks for each country. The Sydney Harbour Bridge won Australia’s favourite spot, while Central Park in New York was awarded the honour in the United States.
IN BRIEF
Visitors spend a million a day in Marlborough
Tourists are flocking to Marlborough and spending as much as a million per day during their travels. Both international and domestic guests spent money on everything from tours and transport to food and experiences in the region throughout 2016. Read more
Cruise ships triple the population of Stewart Island
Stewart Island is growing in popularity as a cruise destination, so much so that visits from two ships this week tripled the population when almost 1,500 tourists stopped off on the island. Similarly, nearby Bluff will soon become a cruise destination as well, with four ships slated for stops in 2016. Read more
West Coast looks to join in on tourism boom
Kevin Stratful, the economic development manager for West Coast and the surrounding areas, wants to upgrade the local infrastructure to join in on the benefits of New Zealand’s current tourism boom. The region’s tourism figures are already up 11 per cent, so Mr Stratful is looking at ways to invest in local tourism. Read more
International visitor figures continue to soar
New Zealand is on track for the biggest summer season on record as figures for spring show arrivals up 11.7 per cent for the year ending November. Americans, Australians and Indians made up the majority of visitors over the year. Read more
Kaikoura reopens whale watching tours
Kaikoura is beginning to bounce back from the earthquake that shook the township and put a halt to tourism activities in the region. It has recommenced one of its most popular and iconic attractions with whale watching tours running from the start of this month. Read more
New touring route proposed for Central Otago
A new touring route has been proposed for the Central Otago region that would connect Dunedin to Queenstown via the Maniototo and Strath Taieri. The route would add the region to established routes through the rest of the country and likely bring in more visitors to the area. Read more
Indonesian travel shows promotes NZ to 1.5 million
Travel show ‘My Trip, My Adventure’ recently aired a two-episode program about New Zealand in Indonesia, which was viewed by more than 1.5 million locals. The show seldom showcases regions outside of Indonesia, and as it’s an emerging market for New Zealand it may create even further interest in holidays here. Read more
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