WELLINGTON – Early signs of recovery are being seen for the New Zealand tourism industry, with a growth in September arrivals figures.
Statistics New Zealand figures released this week showed that total arrivals for September increased 9.3 percent on the same month last year; an additional 14,700 international visitors.
Tourism New Zealand chief George Hickton said the figures signalled a recovery in arrivals after the impact of the economic downturn and Influenza A (H1N1), which hit arrivals from Asia particularly hard earlier in the year.
“Today’s figures show our top five markets are all showing significant improvement on last month, which is great news for the industry heading into the crucial summer season,†Hickton said.
“The US and China are recovering, Japan and the UK appear to have stabilised and Australia is still showing strong growth with holiday arrivals up 25 percent in September; so Australia continues to be the foundation for our recovery,†Hickton added.
