Independent travellers bring tourism dollar to new regions

August 2, 2016

Independent travellers bring tourism dollar to new regions

A new report into New Zealand’s tourism sector says travellers are looking to regional New Zealand for a more ‘authentic’ Kiwi experience.

In its latest report on the tourism sector, consumer behaviour analysts Marketview has looked at the spending patterns of tourists around the country, and Managing Director Stephen Bridle says the results mean good news for regional New Zealand.

“Our figures show confident, independent tourists want unique and authentic experiences centred on specific interests. Those here for cycling, golf, fishing and even shopping can find something uniquely Kiwi almost anywhere in the country.”

Bridle says experiences that were originally geared to the domestic market, such as the Otago Rail Trail and ‘alternative’ wine tours, are garnering international attention. The popularity of ‘special interest’ holidays, significantly supported by Tourism New Zealand, is also gaining traction particularly in the lower half of the South Island.

“In addition, we’re seeing tourists coming to New Zealand from new markets. The number of travellers from China, India, Indonesia, Argentina and Brazil has grown by over 80% over the past three years, and the collective value of their credit card spending here increased by 87.4%.”
Marketview figures show that typically tourist-driven locations like Queenstown, Rotorua and Auckland are still taking the lion’s share of the markets’ spending. However, spending in these locations only grew by 83.2% in the three year period. While still a healthy jump, the spending value of these cardholders outside of these mainstream centres grew 165.5% over the same period.

“While these new regions are working from a lower base, it’s interesting to see this new trend emerge in one of our core export markets. Regional economies have a great opportunity to take advantage of this new generation of tourist. They will need to work strategically to ensure they maximise their advantage, but it's a game open to all comers,” says Bridle.

ENDS

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