AUCKLAND – Australian holiday arrivals and a strong ski season have helped New Zealand enter new territory for visitor arrivals over winter.
Figures from Statistics New Zealand show that Australian holiday arrivals over the winter season of June, July and August were up 28 per cent on the same three months last year.
Australian holiday arrivals for those three months were also two percent higher than arrivals over the peak 2007/2008 summer months of December, January and February.
“The recession and a combined New Zealand marketing push in Australia has resulted in this winter season outstripping summer arrivals in 2007/2008 and that is something we could not have foreseen given the current economic downturn,†said Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton.
Overall visitor arrivals in August were down one percent, or 1385 visitors, compared to the same month last year. However, holiday arrivals were up one per cent on August 2008.
