Domestic tourism expenditure holds steady

Media Statement

Tuesday 12 July 2011 – For immediate release

Domestic tourism expenditure holds steady

Newly released figures show that domestic tourism spending held steady in the year to March 2011.

The Ministry of Economic Development’s latest Domestic Travel Survey suggests business travel expenditure increased by ten percent to $2.8 billion in the year to March 2011, compared to the year before.

Overall, New Zealanders are estimated to have spent three percent more on domestic travel than the year before, although this increase is less than the sample error. In comparison, there was a six percent decrease in spending by international tourists over the same period. In total domestic travellers spent $9.0 billion dollars, the second highest amount recorded, although overnight trips decreased slightly.
While there was an increase in spend of business travellers and those visiting friends and family, expenditure of domestic holidaymakers dropped by 2.4 percent. Some of these may be travelling abroad as surveys have shown a five percent increase in New Zealanders taking holidays overseas.
In total, travellers took 15.7 million overnight trips and 29.8 million day trips; and spent 48.4 million nights away from home, an average of three nights per overnight trip. Travellers spent almost $200 per trip, with business travellers spending the most with $235 per visit.
“Many firms in the tourism industry are suffering at the moment, with impacts from the Christchurch earthquake, the recent ash cloud, and a late start to the ski season. The fact that domestic tourism is consolidating its recovery from a slight low point during 2010 is good news for the sector. This is taking place despite high petrol prices and a strong dollar encouraging trips abroad,” said Peter Ellis, Tourism Research and Evaluation Manager at the Ministry of Economic Development.

“While some of the increased spending is on transport due to higher petrol prices, we know that domestic tourists are spending more on recreation as well as gifts and souvenirs than they were a year ago.”

The Domestic Travel Survey is an annual telephone survey of 15,000 New Zealand residents and is undertaken throughout the year. Since the 22 February earthquake, planned interviews of Christchurch residents were replaced by calls to residents of other regions. Data and reports from the survey are available from www.tourismresearch.govt.nz/dts.
ends

© Scoop Media