Government report underscores soaring cost of New Zealand holiday

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Government report underscores soaring cost of New Zealand holiday

( ) 13:20, November 26, 2013

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WELLINGTON, Nov. 26 -- A New Zealand government report on the country's tourism sector reinforces the perception that the country is becoming increasingly expensive for overseas visitors.

The Tourism Sector Report, released by Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce on Tuesday, highlighted significant challenges for the country's second biggest export earner after the dairy industry.

The report showed tourism generated 9.8 billion NZ dollars (8. 06 billion U.S. dollars) a year in exports to the New Zealand economy, with more than 2.6 million international visitors last year.

"There has been steady growth in visitor arrivals from Australia and China. Australian visitors have almost doubled in the 10 years to 2013 to 1.2 million, while visitors from China grew by 31 percent from 2012-2013 to reach 210,000," Joyce said in a statement.

"Visitors are no longer content with observing; they find more value in experiencing Kiwi culture and interacting with it," he said.

"The tourism sector has to make the most of this opportunity and change the way in which tourism products and attractions are targeted and bundled for each type of visitor need."

However, the report showed 67 percent of New Zealand tourism firms dealing with foreign markets said the high exchange rate was a barrier, compared to 34 percent of all New Zealand exporters, while 55 percent said exchange rate volatility was a barrier, compared with 37 percent of all exporters.

Spending by visitors from the two biggest markets, Australia and China, increased in the 10 years from 2003, partially offsetting falls in spending from other major and traditional markets and a total fall of 0.6 percent to 2.192 billion NZ dollars.

But while total Australian spending rose 4.7 percent to 2.195 billion NZ dollars, the average Australian visitor spending per trip fell from 2,398 NZ dollars to 2,017 NZ dollars over the same period; and while total Chinese spending rose by 9.1 percent to 721 million NZ dollars, the average fell from 4,703 NZ dollars to 3,449 NZ dollars.

Joyce acknowledged the sector was facing "some challenges," but the government was making a significant investment in supporting it through additional investment in marketing and other areas.

"We need to continually improve the range of products and experiences being offered so when visitors chose their next destination for the complete package, they will look to New Zealand," he said.

（Editor：LiangJun、Yao Chun）