Spending rises faster than visitor numbers
The fastest bach price rises in the past year have been in Raglan, where values are up 17.1 per cent. That’s followed by Twizel at 16.8 per cent.
‘‘We are seeing annual price growth of more than 15 per cent in many holiday hotspots, indicating that Kiwis are still searching for their dream bach,’’ Lintern said.
Bindi Norwell, chief executive of the Real Estate Institute, said she expected strong demand for holiday houses this summer.
‘‘As we’ve seen for some years now, prices in holiday hotspots continue to increase in value,’’ Norwell said.
‘‘Real estate agents in coastal towns are bracing themselves for a plethora of inquiries over the Christmas/New Year period.
‘‘Our figures demonstrate signs of a buoyant market in some of the top holiday destinations across the length and breadth of New Zealand.’’
Across the country Homes.co.nz reports Auckland values down 1.2 per cent, Wellington’s up 8.5 per cent and Christchurch’s down 0.5 per cent. Dunedin is still the standout of the main centres, up 11.8 per cent.
Auckland’s first-home buyer price, which assumes that first-time buyers purchase a property cheaper than 75 per cent of those on the market, was down 0.2 per cent. Tourism has become the backbone of many communities, providing work and significant economic contribution, according to Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall.
‘‘Tourism is a dynamic sector that offers a range of careers. It’s fantastic to see so many Kiwis gaining skills and experience.’’
New data released yesterday showed tourism directly employed 216,000 New Zealanders and contributed $39.1 billion to the economy.
The figures also showed that international tourist spending was rising faster than the number of overseas visitors, who contributed $16b of the total amount spent.
Spending grew at 7.7 per cent over the previous year while visitor numbers increased at 3.6 per cent.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa communications manager Ann-Marie Johnson said it was a continuation of the spectacular growth enjoyed in recent years.
The Tourism Satellite Account is the official annual measurement of the tourism industry, compiled by Statistics New Zealand. It includes spending, the number of people employed directly and indirectly, tourism’s share of export earnings, and its contribution to GDP.
Yesterday’s figures show that the annual tourism spend is now $10.5b a year more than it was in 2014 – an extra $29m a day being spent in communities across New Zealand.
Tourism now provides 20.6 per cent of total exports. It makes a direct contribution to GDP of 6.1 per cent and a further indirect contribution of 4.3 per cent.
In addition to the 216,000 people directly employed, a further 149,304 are indirectly employed, a total of 13.5 per cent of the workforce.
‘‘It means that a career in tourism is a viable and stable choice for young people,’’ Johnson said.
In 2014, the association set a goal of being a $41b industry by 2025.