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Market Overview
Market Overview
While economic uncertainty remains the major reason behind British travellers delaying holiday plans, some sectors of the market are showing resilience as a result of the downturn. The youth market is choosing to travel as a result of fewer university places and weak job prospects and older travellers are finally making that trip of a lifetime between jobs. Tourism New Zealand remains focussed in areas it believes it can make a difference to stimulate travel.
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New Zealand has long been a favourite holiday destination for British travellers. More than a quarter of a million visit annually making the UK market second only to Australia for visitor numbers and expenditure.
More than half of British visitors to New Zealand have already been at least once before. Holiday visitors from the UK have the third-longest median length of stay of all of our markets (20 days), after The Netherlands and Germany, and three-quarters visit regions beyond the main tourist centres.
Almost all UK travellers use the Internet to research and book travel. Around 80 per cent travel New Zealand fully or semi-independently, making most of their bookings as they travel the country.
Between 1999 and 2008 total visitor arrivals from the UK increased by almost 70 percent. However, after peaking at 307,000 in 2005, they had fallen back by 10 per cent by September 2009. Despite New Zealand’s continued popularity, innovative marketing and high profile in the British travel media, this downward trend is expected to continue in the short term.
New Zealand is seen as the trip of a lifetime and Tourism New Zealand’s campaign work is focussed on making the dream of a New Zealand holiday real. ‘Trip of a life time’ status is a double-edged sword: on one side New Zealand is seen as aspirational, and on the other are the barriers to travel such as the time needed to travel, costs, air flight length, effort and emotional investment.
With the Rugby World Cup around the corner, it is time to make sure rugby fans and travel sellers are starting to think about making that that trip in 2011.
Fast Facts:
Visitor arrivals year to date
(Total Arrivals) |
258,292 (YE Oct 2009) -10.6%
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Median length of stay
(Holiday Arrivals) | 20 days (YE Sep 2009) |
Average expenditure per visit
(Holiday Arrivals) | NZ $3,997 (YE Sep 2009) +4.9%
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Toal expenditure
(Total Arrivals) | NZ $817,768,659 (YE Sep 2009) -15.8%
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| Forecast growth in travel to New Zealand 2009-2015 average | 0.3% per annum |
| Population | 61,113,205 (Jul 2009 est.) |
| Key regions/cities | London, South England, Midland, Scotland, Wales |
| Direct routes into New Zealand | Multiple |
| Leave entitlement | 23 days |
| Currency | British Pound (GBP) |
| Exchange rate |
GBP1 = NZ$2.25 (17 Nov 09) |
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GDP Growth | -4.5 for 2009
1.3% for 2010
(Nov 2009 est.) |
| Per capita GDP (PPP) | US$35,757 (2008) |
This information was last updated on 23 November 2009.
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