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Wellington Airport was recently rated first equal in the world for sustainability in an independent global assessment, while its annual survey shows strong local support for more visitors. The survey found 87 per cent of Wellingtonians support more international tourism to the city, and 77 per cent want more flights.
Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke says the result is welcome but not unexpected.
“It’s great to have that level of support from our community but also no surprise. Wellingtonians love hosting visitors and know how important tourism is to our economy. Word of mouth from friends and family is an important way of attracting people to visit.”
Long-haul links
Australia sits at the top of the airport’s list of target markets, but isn’t the only one.
“Australia is a key market for us given we have 120 trans-Tasman flights per week. The US, UK and Europe, South-East Asia, and China are also important markets.
“We’re always working with airlines, other airports and WellingtonNZ on promoting Wellington as a destination and talking to new airlines about potential new services.” says Matt.
The airport’s recent runway work is now part of that pitch, and Matt says it has opened new possibilities for direct flights to Asia.
“Our engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) has extended the usable length of our runway and created new options to directly connect Wellington with global hubs in Asia.
“There is a lot of untapped demand here with around half a million travellers flying long-haul to and from Wellington every year via Auckland and east coast Australia.”
He says direct connections would benefit more than just the capital.
“Connecting the world with central New Zealand will increase visitor numbers, who will be travelling on new itineraries and having new experiences, while better dispersing the benefits of tourism across the country.”
Recovery
Wellington’s international numbers are climbing, but Matt says the national picture shows the recovery isn’t finished.
“International guest nights in Wellington City rose by 9.1 per cent over the year and our international passenger numbers are up 4 per cent in the last year to 823,000 with strong demand across Australia, Fiji and Asia.
“However, overseas visitor numbers into New Zealand are sitting at 94 per cent of pre-Covid levels, so there is still more work to do, particularly with Chinese visitor numbers which remain well below 2019 levels.”
Matt says there are some short-term advantages working in New Zealand’s favour.
“In the short-term, Wellington and New Zealand will benefit from its relative isolation from global conflicts, and well as the favourable exchange rate which makes the country a more affordable place to visit.”
Events driving arrivals
Events are a big part of the capital’s appeal, and the airport puts its money behind them.
“Major events are vital to Wellington. According to WellingtonNZ these generated over $60 million in visitor spend.
“This is a major reason why we sponsor nearly every major event in Wellington, including the Aotearoa Festival of the Arts, Wellington on a Plate, Beervana and the World of WearableArt® (WOW).
“Summer is always a great time to visit Wellington and we have a strong pipeline of major events coming up, including Race of Champions, ULTRA music festival major international concerts and an expanded World of WearableArt programme in 2027.” says Matt.
Sustainability
The airport has also scored 100 out of 100 in GRESB’s annual Infrastructure Asset Assessment, which rates environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. It is the airport’s highest ever score and places it first equal out of 566 entities worldwide, including 18 airports.
Matt says the result helps make the case for Wellington as a destination.
“It helps show we are a city serious about sustainability and biodiversity.
“It’s also why Wellington Airport is a major sponsor of Predator Free Wellington and their goal of creating the world’s first predator free capital city.”
