Tourism New Zealand says it is “tantalisingly close” to reaching its target of 3.7 million international visitor arrivals by the end of June as the tourism sector continues its recovery.
Speaking during TRENZ, Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy says international visitor growth had doubled compared with the previous year.
“We’ve seen really strong tourism recovery over the last 12 months, and we are moving the needle collectively as an industry for people to discover New Zealand,” René says.
René says March was particularly strong, with international arrivals up 15 percent year-on-year, reinforcing confidence the sector remains on track for full recovery by the end of the year, citing Statistics New Zealand visitor arrivals data.
Regional growth continues
René says growth in international tourism spending is being felt across the country.
“What’s really encouraging is that every region in New Zealand is seeing growth in international visitor spend,” he says.
“That collective lift is important for operators, for regions and for the wider economy.”
Tourism New Zealand says regional spending growth is reflected in MBIE’s Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates.
Despite global instability and fluctuating fuel prices, René says international travel demand for New Zealand has remained resilient.
“Tourism New Zealand is monitoring the impacts of the situation, at the moment booking patterns are positive overall and we have upweighted winter and ski activity in Australia and China to support.”
AI influencing travel planning
René says future tourism growth will increasingly depend on how well the sector adapts to changing traveller behaviour and emerging technology.
“We need to harness the opportunity of AI and make sure our data is accurate, so New Zealand is discoverable to international visitors in this new world.
“How we make ourselves easy to find — and trusted by the tools people are using to dream, plan and book — is going to be crucial to our future growth.”
René says artificial intelligence would become another part of the travel booking journey rather than replacing the broader tourism system.
“It’s not a replacement for the tourism system by any means, it’s another channel or factor in the travel purchase journey.”
