This Content Is Only For Subscribers
Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker says the additional Qantas capacity across the Tasman this summer is a welcome boost for New Zealand’s tourism sector and a strong signal of ongoing demand for travel between our two countries.
“With increased services to Sydney and Melbourne, the new seasonal service to Adelaide, the return of Perth flights and the introduction of the Dreamliner on Auckland–Brisbane, the expansion enhances connectivity and supports our efforts to rebuild international seat capacity.
“It’s also a positive step for regional tourism, providing greater access and opportunity for visitors to experience more of what New Zealand has to offer.”
AKL has been working with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and RotoruaNZ over the past year to attract back more Australian visitors with a dual region North Island destination proposition, with numbers climbing to 92 per cent of pre-COVID levels between February 2024 and February 2025 – equivalent to a further 110,000 additional Australian visitors.
That partnership has now grown to now represent 15 regional tourism organisations across the North Island aiming to encourage international visitors to travel beyond the main centres and discover a wider range of authentic experiences and spread tourism’s economic benefit. International travel through Auckland Airport contributes $3.6 billion annually to regional New Zealand
In 2019 Australian visitors made up 40 per cent of all visitor arrivals to New Zealand. This has now increased to 42 per cent (as of December 2024).
