Think of New Zealand holidays and there’s a good chance your thoughts will drift to snow-capped peaks and ski holidays. But summer vacations in New Zealand are proving equally alluring, with travel to NZ over the first quarter of 2024 booming, new data from Flight Centre has revealed.
Across stores worldwide, Flight Centre bookings to New Zealand rose more than 65 per cent in the last quarter of 2023, compared to the year before.
From October to December, nearly four in five (80 per cent) bookings made at Flight Centre retailers globally for New Zealand holidays were for travel through until the end of March 2024.
Unsurprisingly, Australian holidaymakers lead the way among bookings, with Aussies accounting for three in five (57 per cent) New Zealand bookings since October.
Elsewhere, bookings for NZ from the UK and Canada were also high, according to the travel agency giant, which operates stores in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada and South Africa.
When it comes to the most popular destinations, New Zealand’s major gateway Auckland rules, with many holidaymakers using the city as a springboard for self-drive and touring holidays.
But Queenstown, Nelson and Hawkes Bay are also proving popular.
Lower airfares ahead?
While surging travel to NZ spells good news for tourism operators in the country, demand for Kiwi holidays could also lower airfares to/from New Zealand as carriers consider upping capacity.
“Two-way travel demand is key for airlines when deciding whether to increase services to New Zealand,” Flight Centre New Zealand General Manager Heidi Walker says.
“Both are needed to maximise an airlines’ revenue as it ensures a consistent flow of passengers – optimising seat occupancy and overall profitability.
“If more airlines decide to enter certain markets due to demand, often in turn we see more competitive airfares and availability, which we love being able to offer our customers.”
One example, according to Walker, is the rise in the number of seats on offer between New Zealand and North America.
“We’ve recently seen carriers such as United and Delta increasing their services in New Zealand in response to demand. As a result, North American airfares have been at some of the best prices we’ve seen in a very long time,” she states.
“For example – Flight Centre currently has on offer return flights from Auckland to Los Angeles for $1,150, San Francisco $1,191 and non-stop to Honolulu for $1,198.”
Walker isn’t surprised travel to New Zealand is surging, with its incredible landscapes, friendly locals and a highly regarded food and wine scene.
“After several years of travel disruptions including border restrictions, extreme weather events and more, the world now knows we are open for business and hopefully tourism will go back to being one of the top earners for the New Zealand economy, as it was in 2019,” she says.
“The influx of tourists to New Zealand is great news for both the inbound and outbound tourism sector, and New Zealand as a whole.”