Contiki tours boom in November on strong Euro exchange rate

Contiki tours boom in November on strong Euro exchange rate

Auckland, 30th November 2010: A dramatic surge in the number of bookings for European Contiki tours this November shows that Kiwi travelers are finally getting over the recession woes of the past two years and taking advantage of the strong New Zealand dollar.

After recording only single digit growth over the past few summer booking seasons, Contiki Holidays announced today that it saw a 45 percent increase in November bookings for its European Summer Tours against the same period last year.

General Manager of Contiki New Zealand, Tony Laskey, says he believes that this trend of young Kiwis taking Contiki trips is all to do with New Zealand’s ongoing recovery from the recession and the dollar performing strongly against the Euro and the British Pound.

"During the last couple of years and the Global Financial Crisis, the numbers of young Kiwis travelling in Europe had remained fairly stagnant, so it is refreshing to see this increased optimism,” says Mr Laskey.

These figures align with the trend spotted last month by Contiki Holidays that showed fewer young Kiwis were taking a Contiki tour at the start of an extended OE, with more choosing to take a 4 – 6 week Contiki in Europe and return home to their job in New Zealand.

“Only five years ago, 90 percent of Contiki customers were taking a tour as the first part of a one to two year OE trip. That figure is now around 50 percent, with the other 50 percent doing their Contiki and returning to NZ,” says Mr Laskey.

Contiki Holidays is recognized as one of New Zealand’s most iconic brands. Through almost fifty years of business they have sent more than two million people on tours worldwide, including approximately 300,000 from New Zealand. They operate in more than 40 countries around the world.

For more information about Contiki New Zealand’s overseas and inbound tours, visit www.contiki.co.nz

ENDS

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