The tourism industry in New Zealand has reasons to smile this new year with an estimated half a million international visitors to fly in New Zealand in the next couple of months. This will be the highest number of visitors at the border since the relaxing of travel restrictions.
New Zealand is an attractive destination for travelers and since the opening of international borders on July 31, 2022, international air travel has seen a gradual upward lift in the country.
Between 470,000 and 530,000 people are expected to land in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in January and February. According to Tourism minister Stuart Nash: “More than 20,000 working holiday visa holders had arrived in New Zealand since the border fully reopened last July.
About 5% of the total population of New Zealand depend on tourism as a means for livelihood. However, the country is debating on the restrictions for travellers coming from China and other Asian countries due to the recent news of COVID-19 outbreak. Prior to pandemic, China was New Zealand's second largest international visitor market after Australia and one of the most valuable in terms of holiday spending. As per the official records, over 400,000 Chinese visitors arrived in the country in 2019 spending $1.7 bn.
Going ahead, about 150,000 Chinese tourists were expected to visit New Zealand in 2023, but limited flights between the two countries would keep the numbers in check.
Commenting on increasing the international flight capacity, Minister Nash said: “To really get the numbers that we had pre-pandemic, we would need to see a real ramp-up in airline scheduling out of China direct. Summer tourists were most likely to come from Australia, North America and Europe
Australia has joined a number of other countries in tightening entry requirements after China announced it would relax its travel restrictions on January 8, 2022.