MUMBAI: New Zealand, which saw 29,936 tourists from India in 2013, is expecting a double digit growth from the sub-continent for the next three years.
“India is among the top 10 largest source markets for New Zealand with regards to tourist arrivals. Our CY 2013 performance from India is very positive with total arrivals at 29,936,” Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager – South and South East Asia – Mischa Mannix-Opie told PTI here.
“With New Zealand co-hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015, it will create awareness and make our country a preferred destination for Indian travelers in the upcoming months,” she said.
New Zealand is expecting a double digit growth from the Indian market for the next three years, she added.
What makes India an important market for New Zealand is the ‘season’ or timing of arrivals from India. “We receive a large number of Indian tourists during March-June, which is conventionally the off or low tourist season in New Zealand. This makes India an important market in assisting with year round sustainability of the New Zealand tourism industry,” Mannix-Opie said.
In India, New Zealand mainly targets people who are not just aware of New Zealand but seriously consider the country as one of their preferred holiday destinations, she said.
The India market has two peaks of visitation to New Zealand, the young adventurers market (age group- 18-29 years) who tend to travel from October-December (with the honeymoon market being a subset of this segment) and the families market (age group – over 30 years) peaks over April-June quarter.
This makes the India market very attractive to the New Zealand tourism industry particularly during the low season of the latter quarter, Mannix-Opie said.
“Our research reveals that there are approximately 3.7 million active considerers of New Zealand in India mainly from cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore,” she added.
New Zealand’s largest international markets for tourism are Australia, China and the US.
She further stated that India has been identified by Tourism New Zealand as one of three “emerging markets” where increased investment is needed to build demand and secure a strong long-term position for the tourism industry.
The New Zealand government had announced additional funding for Tourism New Zealand’s work to increase the value of visitor arrivals to the economy.
“From July 1, 2013, Tourism New Zealand tripled its budget investment to NZD 3.5 million and expects to invest similar levels or higher over the next three years,” she said.
Indian visitors, she said, prefer taking the road less traveled and explore the country on their own.
Tourism New Zealand aspires to reach its goal of USD 41 billion value by 2025, with the objective of increasing the value of international visitors to the country, she added. -PTI
