A June 2022 analysis of Google searches for flights and accommodation has revealed that international outbound travel demand in New Zealand has topped pre-pandemic levels by more than 40 per cent.
There’s also growing international interest in visiting New Zealand, with inbound travel-related searches up 36 per cent from pre-pandemic volumes.
Domestic travel intent has also skyrocketed in recent months, with searches for domestic flights and accommodation surpassing 50 per cent compared to June 2019.
New Zealand spent two years of the pandemic with strict international borders restrictions.
The opening of the country has happened in phases – from March for citizens, extended to Australians in April, followed by 60 visa waiver countries.
The big development was in June when it was announced that borders would open to testing free travel for the first time. To top up travel cheer, New Zealand will start welcoming all vaccinated tourists and visa holders from July 31.
“As restrictions continue to ease, New Zealanders are eager to make up for lost travel time and take that long awaited holiday,” says Google New Zealand country manager Caroline Rainsford.
“They are taking advantage of the travel opportunities that have now opened up searching for places to escape the winter months overseas or make the most of our beautiful outdoor spaces.
“We’ve been supporting travellers by providing information on COVID-19 and flexible travel arrangements through Google Travel and we’ve been working with travel partners to help them make informed decisions through Travel Insights for Businesses.”
Caroline says while the surge in demand is welcome, the travel industry should consider these trends to cater to Kiwi travellers’ changing preferences:
- Premium travel – growth in searches for “luxury hotel”/ “resort & spa” says Kiwis are planning big budget holidays (+61 per cent)
- All-inclusive and hassle-free – searches for topics “all inclusive resort”/ “package tour” highlights Kiwis are preferring convenience (+327 per cent)
- Beach bound – ‚Äã‚Äãsearches for “beach resort” shows Kiwi’s preference for seaside holidays (138 per cent)
- Cruise – searches for the “cruise” shows Kiwis are exploring these holiday experiences (+123 per cent)
- European holiday – three out of five fastest growing destinations were in Europe [Denmark, Croatia, Iceland]
International Travel
International travel demand – outbound and inbound – has followed the border reopening developments.
The first surge kicked off in March with exponential momentum from mid-April. By the end of March, outbound overseas demand by Kiwis had crossed the pre pandemic level by two per cent; but inbound demand was still 13 per cent less. Within the next three months, the tide has turned dramatically. International demand has grown exponentially and in June it was 43 per cent over 2019 levels for outbound and 36 per cent for inbound.
In 2019, international tourism was worth $12.6bn in total, with Australians contributing to 40 per cent of the country’s overseas visitors. The full reopening in July is expected to cater to the remainder of the tourism demand, meaning that the full impact to inbound travel is yet to be realised.
Domestic Travel
Domestic travel has been a precious alternative for Kiwis during the pandemic.
Domestic demand has remained above 2019 through 2022, except during the advent of the Omicron outbreak (Jan-Feb), then rebounding fast and being +50 per cent over 2019 in June, perhaps surprisingly in spite of the winter months.
There is growing interest in nature-based destinations around the Tongariro National Park such as Turangi and Ohakune or the Hawea lake of Hunter Valley (25 per cent+ growth in searches in June vs. previous month).
New Zealanders are actively exploring options with passion and detail. June 2022 vs. 2021 data shows we are:
- Passionately dreaming about “where to travel…” (+315 per cent search interest)
- Actively planning for the “best place to stay…” (+226 per cent search interest)
- Ready for action, by researching “travel insurance…” (+316 per cent search interest)
The top five destinations for outbound travel by search interest include (April 2022 vs 2019):
- Australia
- United States
- Fiji
- United Kingdom
- Indonesia
The top 5 inbound travel by search interest include travellers from the countries below (April 2022 vs 2019):
- Australia
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Singapore
Kiwis have a travel lust for Australia with four out of five top demand cities being Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast.
Long haul travel (outside Asia) destinations include London, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Dubai, New York, Las Vegas – these feature in the top 20 cities by demand.
The top domestic travel destinations by search interest include (April 2022 vs 2019):
- Auckland
- Wellington
- Christchurch
- Queenstown
- Rotorua
- Taupo
