Hon Paula Bennett

Associate Minister of Tourism

28 July 2016
Strong start to winter for tourism sector

The latest monthly Regional Tourism Estimates show a strong start to the winter season with every region experiencing increased expenditure compared to last year, Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett says.

Otago led the way with $3.2 billion in spending by domestic and international visitors, an 11 per cent increase on June 2015. Nelson increased 10 per cent to $299 million, followed by Auckland with an eight per cent increase to $6.7 billion.

In addition to Auckland and Otago, four other regions saw expenditure of over $1 billion, with Canterbury ($3 billion), Waikato ($2.2 billion), Wellington ($2.2 billion) and the Bay of Plenty ($1.6 billion) rounding out the six.

“It’s fantastic to see the whole country benefiting from the tourism sector in June,” Mrs Bennett says.

“These latest results are a testament to the hard work and innovation of the tourism sector, and also towns and cities right across New Zealand that are doing smart things to show off their own unique piece of paradise.

“The Government is focused on encouraging a greater dispersal of visitors across New Zealand to make sure all regions can benefit from tourism spend, and it’s clear this is paying off.

“We are committed to making sure regions have the infrastructure they need to serve an increasing number of visitors, so we have invested $12 million over four years into a new Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Fund which will be open for applications soon.

“I encourage the sector and communities to make use of the regional breakdowns of monthly expenditure made available by MBIE, which is aimed at helping the industry plan and invest strategically.”

View the full statistics from the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates here:http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/tourism/tourism-research-data/monthly-regional-tourism-estimates

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