Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Wellington’s scorching summer tourist boom

NEWS RELEASE
30 May 2018

Wellington’s scorching summer tourist boom

Wellington’s scorching 2018 summer was also been a boon for Wellington City Council’s business operations as they exceeded performance expectations.

Eco-sanctuary Zealandia continues to be increasingly popular with tourists and in the January-March quarter more than 42,000 people visited, up 14 percent on the same time last year. Fifty-seven percent of visitors were from outside Wellington.

Visitation through Experience Wellington’s suite of attractions was up on budget by 38,068 and the Zoo performed strongly with visitation ahead of plan.

Numbers were also up by more than 35,000 for the Cable Car on the same period last year – the city’s second most popular attraction after Te Papa.

The figures were part of a review of the quarter presented to the Council Controlled Organisations Subcommittee on today (Wednesday).

Wellington experienced a great tourist season and visitor spend exceeded $2.5 billion in the year to February for the first time.

“One pillar of our economic strategy is tourist attraction and when Wellington has a tourist boom, the Council’s businesses can be part of that boom,” says Councillor Simon Marsh, who holds the Economic Development portfolio.

“The Council’s businesses are doing well and when they are attracting tourists those tourists are also spending with local businesses,” he says.

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) has played a large role in this success.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Their marketing of the city attracts acts, conferences, businesses and tourists to Wellington and this means jobs for Wellingtonians.

“That helps bring that buzz to the capital which makes it such a great place to visit.”

JANUARY-MARCH QUARTER - FIGURES:

ZEALANDIA
• 42,151 visitors, up 14 per cent on same quarter in 2017
• 8174 people took a guided tour, up 38 percent

CABLE CAR
• 391,285 passengers, up 35,701 on the same quarter in 2017

WELLINGTON ZOO
• 68,861 visitors, 13,664 more than the same time last year

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.