Tourism in New Zealand

Tourism comprises an important sector of the New Zealand economy - it directly contributed NZ$16.2 billion (or 5.8%) of the country's GDP in the year ended March 2019.[2] In 2016 tourism supported 188,000 full-time-equivalent jobs (nearly 7.5% of New Zealand's workforce). The flow-on effects of tourism indirectly contribute a further 4.3% of GDP (or NZ$9.8 billion). Despite the country's geographical isolation, spending by international tourists accounted for 17.1% of New Zealand's export earnings (nearly NZ$12 billion). International and domestic tourism contributed, in total, NZ$34 billion to New Zealand's economy every year as of 2017.[3]

Milford Sound, one of New Zealand's most popular tourist destinations.[1]
Hills above the Whanganui River
Bungee jumping has become a popular activity in the resort town of Queenstown.
Sea-kayaking from Hahei

New Zealand markets itself abroad as a "clean, green" adventure-playground (Tourism New Zealand's main marketing slogan, "100% Pure New Zealand", reflects this) with typical tourist destinations being nature areas such as Milford Sound, Abel Tasman National Park and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing; while activities such as bungee jumping or whale watching exemplify typical tourist attractions, often marketed primarily to individual and small-group travellers. By far the highest number of New Zealand's tourists (about 45%) come from Australia due to close proximity and traditional good relations.

The Sky Tower, a popular attraction in Auckland, serves as an observation tower as well as featuring a revolving restaurant.[4]

The vast majority of international tourist arrivals to New Zealand come through Auckland Airport, which handled nearly fifteen million passengers in 2013. Two percent of visitors arrived by sea as of 2009.[5] Many international tourists spend time in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Rotorua, and Wellington.[6] Other high-profile destinations include the Bay of Islands, the Waitomo Caves, Aoraki / Mount Cook, and Milford Sound. Many tourists travel considerable distances through the country during their stays, typically using coach lines or hired cars. Though some destinations have seasonal specialities (for winter sports, for example), New Zealand's southern-hemisphere location offers attractions for off-peak northern-hemisphere tourists chasing or avoiding certain seasons.

Domestic tourism is also important, though expenditure and trip numbers have declined or stagnated in the face of fast-growing international tourism. Domestic tourist spending of NZ$20.2 billion a year still exceeds that of international visitors (NZ$11.8 billion). In June 2018 the New Zealand government announced the imposition of a "tourist tax" of around NZ$25 to NZ$35 for international visitors, excluding Australians, many Pacific islanders, and young children. It planned to implement this taxation in 2019 through a newly-proposed electronic travel-registration process.[7][8]

In November 2012 readers of the UK newspaper The Telegraph voted New Zealand the best country in the world to go to on holiday.[9] The national airline, Air New Zealand, was voted the third-best long-haul carrier.

International travel
Air New Zealand plane with The Lord of the Rings livery. The film series, shot in New Zealand, is credited as having raised annual tourism numbers.[10]

Markets

The top 12 countries for international visitor arrivals to New Zealand in terms of their nationality are:[11]

Country2015201620172018 2019Change (%)
2018–19
 Australia1,326,8001,409,2001,472,1601,494,541 1,537,988 2.9
 China, People's Republic of355,904409,008417,872448,189 407,141 9.2
 United States of America243,104291,392330,128352,074 367,958 4.5
 United Kingdom203,952220,976249,264237,166 231,712 2.3
 Germany84,54496,848104,864102,087 98,050 4.0
 Japan87,328100,736102,04899,784 97,682 2.1
 Korea, Republic of64,99282,38491,16887,853 88,481 0.7
 Canada52,35259,76067,28071,261 73,037 2.5
 India46,00052,01661,44067,953 66,775 1.7
 Singapore49,58457,34458,54461,464 64,574 5.1
 Hong Kong (SAR)36,28844,76854,68858,763 53,720 8.6
 Taiwan31,20037,05635,71244,659 53,453 19.7
Other countries549,879638,451688,539737,423 747,902 1.4
Total3,131,9273,499,9393,733,7073,863,217 3,888,473 0.7

Australia accounts for 39.6 percent of New Zealand visitor arrivals. Broken down by state, New South Wales accounted for 533,681 visitors in 2019, followed by Queensland with 389,359 visitors, and Victoria with 368,710 visitors.[11]

Of the top 12 nationalities, all except China and India are entitled to visa waivers,[12] while all except the UK, Germany and India have non-stop flights to New Zealand.

Overview

The country is internationally seen as a top holiday destination, shown by receiving awards like being voted most favourite destination by the readers of the Condé Nast Traveler magazine (specialising in luxury travels) in 2008, though it slipped to second place in 2009,[13] and was also named the best overseas holiday destination in a 2007 The Daily Telegraph poll, the United Kingdom's largest such poll. Since the start of a 2000 advertising campaign by Tourism New Zealand, there has been a 61% increase in the number of Britons coming to New Zealand.[14]

The availability of air travel is a large contributing factor to market growth. After Air New Zealand launched non-stop flights from Auckland to Buenos Aires in December 2015, visitor numbers from Argentina tripled, from 5,400 in 2015 to 15,300 in 2016.[15]

Tourism New Zealand, the country's official tourism agency, is actively promoting the country as a destination worldwide. Recent activities include a NZ$7 million campaign in China, concentrating on Shanghai,[16] and cooperating to produce a New Zealand tourism layer for Google Earth, the first country to receive such a treatment.[17]

Visitor from 60 countries will require a New Zealand eTA (NZ eTA) from the 1st of October 2019.[18][19]

Environmental impacts

Public concern over the environmental impacts of air travel may threaten tourism growth in New Zealand, as almost all tourists fly long distances to reach New Zealand. However, Ministry of Tourism data predicts a four percent annual growth in tourist numbers in New Zealand, with 3.2 million tourists annually to be reached in 2014.[20]

It is however unclear how New Zealand's carbon-neutral policy will affect future tourism – with some researchers arguing that the carbon emissions of tourism are much higher than generally considered, that their offsetting or mitigation will be very difficult, and that this poses a serious threat to the country's major source of foreign income.[21]

Domestic travel
The road to Mount Cook

Periodic campaigns are also directed at New Zealanders, urging them to travel within New Zealand instead of overseas, due to a perception by the tourism industry that too many New Zealanders are travelling to Australia or other countries instead of domestically.[22] Perhaps the best-known slogan is "Don't leave town until you've seen the country".

Air travel is a popular way of getting around the country due to the lack of transport alternatives over longer distances (for example, going from Auckland to Napier, a 400 km journey takes an hour by plane [23] compared to nearly five hours by car[24] or seven hours by bus.[25]

Passenger trains are limited to Auckland-Wellington, Picton-Christchurch and Christchurch-Greymouth, scenic daytrip journeys which often cost more than an airfare. Outside of trunk routes connecting main cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown), airfares can, due to a lack of competition, cost nearly as much as trips to Australia.[26]

Domestic tourism contributed NZ$14 billion to New Zealand's economy (as of the year ended March 2013). 31 million day trips and 16.6 million overnight trips were made in the year ended December 2012, a decline of 4% and 6% respectively. However, total spending stayed static, with a 2% decline in day trip spending (now at $3.7 billion) offset by a 1% increase in overnight spending (currently NZ$6.2 billion).

Tourist activities
See also: Tramping in New Zealand and Camping in New Zealand
Queenstown is known for its commerce-oriented tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism.

Popular tourist activities in New Zealand include sightseeing, adventure tourism, tramping (hiking) and camping. To support active travel, New Zealand has numerous walking and hiking paths (often created and maintained by the DOC), some of which, like the Milford Track, have huge international recognition. There is also a walking route the length of the country (Te Araroa Trail) and a proposed New Zealand Cycleway.

See also

References
  1. "NZ tops Travellers' Choice Awards". Stuff Travel. May 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  2. "About the tourism industry". www.tourismnewzealand.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. "About the industry". November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  4. Sky Tower Official page - Retrieved 2009-07-04
  5. "International visitors: total" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. June 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. "Number of International Visitors who Stayed Overnight in Key NZ Places". Ministry of Economic Development. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  7. "New Zealand to launch £18 'tourist tax' for visitors entering the country". The Independent. Retrieved 26 June 2018. Applying to the majority of travellers, the tax would exclude infants under two years' old, Australian citizens, permanent residents, people from the Pacific Islands Forum countries and individuals on certain visas.
  8. Press, Australian Associated (14 June 2018). "New Zealand to tax tourists to visit – but Australians will get in free". the Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2018. [...] Australian citizens and permanent residents, people from Pacific Islands Forum countries and children under two will be exempt.
  9. "NZ tops UK holiday poll". 3 News NZ. 16 November 2012.
  10. Pinchefsky, Carol (14 December 2012). "The Impact (Economic and Otherwise) of Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit on New Zealand". Forbes. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  11. "International travel: December 2019". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  12. "Visa waiver countries - Immigration New Zealand". www.immigration.govt.nz.
  13. Harvey, Eveline (4 September 2009). "Travellers name NZ second-best destination". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  14. "UK readers vote NZ best holiday destination". The New Zealand Herald. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  15. "Argentina". New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  16. Hembry, Owen (10 May 2007). "$7m more to sell NZ to China". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  17. Hembry, Owen (12 April 2007). "NZ's 100% Pure and Google Earth in world first". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  18. "Information about : NZeTA | Immigration New Zealand". www.immigration.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  19. "eTA New Zealand | Official New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZ eTA)". eTA New Zealand. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  20. Hembry, Owen (3 September 2007). "NZ tourism strikes long-haul snag". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  21. "Carbon policy spells end of tourism bonanza". National Business Review. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  22. South, Gill (16 September 2007). "Stay in NZ, urges tourism industry". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  23. http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/schedules/headeritd.aspx?countrycode=NZ&language=EN]
  24. "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  25. "InterCity® // Bus Tickets From $1 // NZ's National Network".
  26. "Sky high fares". The New Zealand Herald.
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