Foreign tourism a $6b hole
The tourism industry is struggling to fill a $6 billion hole left by international tourists.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said that despite New Zealanders’ efforts this summer, their spending just can’t compare to what foreign visitors bring in.
He said that pre-Covid, international visitors spent more than $3 billion in December and January. ‘‘So that’s effectively disappeared entirely . . . so while the domestic visitor spend, when we do get the figures, might be up slightly, it’s not going to go anywhere near replacing that $3 billion.’’
International tourists would then go on to spend another $3b in February and March, as New Zealanders returned to work, Roberts said.
Although New Zealanders have flocked to beaches and lakes, – encouraged by the ‘‘Do Something New, New Zealand’’ campaign to support the tourism sector – other regions have still been doing it tough this summer.
Golden Bay, the Abel Tasman region and the Tasman District had been especially busy, Roberts said.
The Coromandel is also seeing a busy summer – Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park’s Vivian Bongard said New Zealanders had filled gaps left by overseas visitors. But the likes of Queenstown, Fiordland and Westland have struggled, Roberts said.
Distance from main population centres has been a factor,. ‘‘What we’re seeing is those places within two to three hours’ drive of a main centre have been doing well, but places a little bit further away are not attracting New Zealanders in significant numbers, and those are the ones that are struggling.’’
Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and Te Anau are particularly hard hit.
Totally Tourism offers scenic flights, glacier landings, heli-skiing and boat cruises in the Milford Sound, Queenstown and West Coast regions.
Owner Mark Quickfall said that before Covid-19, 80 to 90 per cent of his clients were from overseas and although the domestic market had since grown, it was just not enough to make ends meet.
‘‘A good example of that is with our helicopter operations, where last summer we were operating about 20 helicopters, and we’re now operating about nine, so less than half,’’ Quickfall said. ‘‘We’re treading water, in the hope that either a bubble with Australia will occur or that the vaccine is distributed wide enough that we can get an air corridor into New Zealand.’’