Business News
Chinese tourists flocking to New Zealand - and more to come
Aug 19, 2011, 6:46 GMT
Wellington - The number of Chinese tourists to New Zealand rose 22 per cent year-on-year to 133,000 in the 12 months that ended July 31, Associate Tourism Minister Jonathan Coleman said Friday.
China is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing tourist markets with massive potential for growth, he said, noting that China Southern Airlines Co Ltd was to increase its scheduled flights between Guangzhou and Auckland from three times a week to daily from November.
Tourism New Zealand said a 20.6-per-cent rise in Chinese tourists in July from the same month a year earlier countered falls in numbers from New Zealand's main markets: Australia, Britain, the United States and Japan.
The tourist industry is counting on a huge boost when New Zealand hosts the six-week Rugby World Cup series scheduled to start September 9, with one estimate that it would attract 95,000 international visitors.
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