15 August, 2008 

Karori Sanctuary, one of New Zealand’s leading conservation tourism attractions, has won a prestigious conservation tourism award

The Sanctuary won the prestigious DOC Conservation in Action Award at the recent New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards.

Karori Sanctuary by CEO Nancy McIntosh-Ward is delighted with the win.

“This award recognises our contribution to New Zealand’s growing sustainable tourism industry and our achievements in managing the Sanctuary as both a visitor attraction and an internationally-respected ecological restoration project”

Located just 10 minutes drive from downtown Wellington, Karori Sanctuary gives a unique opportunity to engage with endangered native birds and other wildlife. A new Visitor and Education Centre is currently under construction, and due to open in the summer of 2009/10.

The new state-of-the-art Centre will be New Zealand’s first facility dedicated exclusively to our country’s unique natural history and conservation story.

Research indicates that in the first three years of the Centre’s operation, visitors to the Karori Sanctuary will increase almost three-fold from 70,000 to nearly 200,000.

“The Centre’s potential impact on Wellington’s international visitor market is significant. If 30,000 international visitors spent another night here because of the Karori Sanctuary, that would mean another $4.5 million per year being spent in Wellington.”

Positively Wellington Tourism has worked closely with Karori Sanctuary on the designs and plans for the Visitor and Education Centre. A key focus has been how the Centre will deliver a world-class visitor experience, through its design elements and layout.

“We have been excited by what we’ve seen, throughout the planning process,” says Tim. “The Centre will offer a unique visitor experience with its combination of nature, story-telling and interactive technology. I’m confident the Wellington tourism industry and public will be as excited about this Centre as we are.”

Source: Stuff.co.nz

30 June, 2008 

Financial benefits reaped through the tourism industry grew nearly 5 per cent in the year to March 2007, with tourism expenditure passing $20 billion.

Tourists spent $20.1 billion in the year to March 2007, according to the Tourism Satellite Account, released today by Statistics New Zealand.

This was an increase of $896 million (4.7 per cent) from the previous March year.

Total tourism expenditure includes spending by both international and domestic tourists.

The main products bought were retail goods, including fuel (30 per cent); air travel (19 per cent); food and beverage (12 per cent); and accommodation (9 per cent).

The report said cheaper trans-Tasman airfares and a strong New Zealand dollar had led to continued strong growth in the number of New Zealanders holidaying in Australia and other overseas destinations.

International tourism contributed $8.8 billion to total New Zealand exports, and domestic tourism expenditure was $11.3 billion.

International visitors increased 2.8 per cent in the year to March 2007, following a decrease of 0.4 per cent in the year ended March 2006.

The tourism industry directly employed 108,100 full-time equivalent employees, or 5.8 per cent of total employment in New Zealand.

Source: nznewsuk.co.uk

22 February 2008

New Zealand has been voted top country by readers of the British-based travel publication Wanderlust.

It was the second year running Wanderlust readers had voted New Zealand the top country.

Nearly 3000 travellers voted in the annual awards, which are based on customer satisfaction over the past year.

New Zealand received 96.86 percent satisfaction followed closely by Madagascar and Namibia.

“Visitors come to New Zealand looking for unique, authentic experiences so the fact that this award is based on visitor satisfaction is something our tourism industry can be very proud of,” Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said.

The magazine said New Zealand’s growing popularity as a film location had also helped raise the country’s profile as a holiday destination.

Wanderlust said New Zealand’s breathtaking scenery had become a favourite among film makers, having featured in blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and was tipped to be the location for the recently announced Hobbit films.

Wanderlust readers’ vote followed New Zealand’s win for Best Holiday Destination Worldwide as voted by readers of the Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper in November last year.

“The United Kingdom is second largest market for visitor arrivals, contributing almost 300,000 visitors over the past year, so this kind of recognition by the travelling public is proof that the UK market has potential to grow even further,” Mr Hickton said.