Tourism in New Zealand

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New Zealand landscapes: Snow-capped mountains near Milford Sound.
New Zealand landscapes: Snow-capped mountains near Milford Sound.
New Zealand landscapes: A beach at sunset near Greymouth, New Zealand.
New Zealand landscapes: A beach at sunset near Greymouth, New Zealand.
New Zealand landscapes: Hills above the Whanganui River.
New Zealand landscapes: Hills above the Whanganui River.

New Zealand receives two million tourists per year, and tourism is the country's biggest 'export' earner.[1] New Zealand is marketed as a "clean, green" adventure playground, with typical destinations being nature areas such as Milford Sound and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, while activities such as bungee jumping or whale watching exemplify typical tourist attractions.

The vast majority of tourist arrivals in New Zealand come through Auckland International Airport which handled over eleven million passengers in 2004. Popular destinations include Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Milford Sound and Queenstown. Many tourists travel large distances through the country during their stays, typically using coach lines or hire cars.

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[edit] International travel

New Zealand is a popular destination for a number of countries in Asia and worldwide. New Zealand was also named the best overseas holiday destination in a The Daily Telegraph poll, the United Kingdom's largest such poll. Since the start of a 2000 advertising campaign by Tourism New Zealand, there has been a 61% increase in the number of Britons coming New Zealand.[2]

Public concern over the environmental impacts of air travel may threaten tourism growth in New Zealand, as almost all tourists fly long distances to reach New Zealand. However, Ministry of Tourism data predicts a four per cent annual growth in tourist numbers in New Zealand, with 3.2 million tourists annually to be reached in 2014.[3]

Tourism New Zealand, the country's official tourism agency, is actively promoting the country as a destination worldwide. Recent activities include a NZ$7 million campaign in China, concentrating on Shanghai,[4] and cooperating to produce a New Zealand tourism layer for Google Earth, the first country to receive such a treatment.[5]

[edit] Domestic travel

Periodic campaigns are also directed at New Zealanders, urging them to travel within New Zealand instead of overseas, due to a perception by the tourism industry that too many New Zealanders are travelling to Australia or other countries instead of domestically.[6] Perhaps the best known slogan is "Don't leave town until you've seen the country". However, due to lack of competition, fares for some domestic flights can be higher than those for flights to, for example, Australia.[citation needed]

Domestic tourism was worth NZ$7.6 billion (including transport costs) in the year ending March 2007, a growth of 9.1 per cent on the year before. Domestic tourism itself was growing by 1 to 1.5 per cent a year in the recent years, as noted by the Ministry of Tourism.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Corporate Overview (from the Tourism New Zealand corporate website. Retrieved 2007-09-30)
  2. ^ UK readers vote NZ best holiday destination - The New Zealand Herald, Saturday 01 December 2007
  3. ^ NZ tourism strikes long-haul snag - The New Zealand Herald, Monday 03 September 2007
  4. ^ $7m more to sell NZ to China - The New Zealand Herald, Thursday 10 May 2007
  5. ^ NZ's 100% Pure and Google Earth in world first - New Zealand Herald, Thursday 12 April 2007
  6. ^ a b Stay in NZ, urges tourism industry - The New Zealand Herald, Sunday 16 September 2007

[edit] External links

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