AKLD Airport to invest $1m into growing high-value tourism

Focus on promoting premium New Zealand tourism in order to grow high-value visitor markets

Auckland Airport today announced a million dollar investment into initiatives which will focus on the attraction and growth of affluent visitors from high-value markets.

Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Business Development for Auckland Airport, said, “The rapidly growing number of affluent visitor markets represents a massive economic opportunity for New Zealand. Our new commitment announced today will focus on working together with airlines and our tourism industry partners to improve the value of tourism from those markets.”

Mr Wedlock said, “We are now seeing an increasing affluence and consequent desire to travel developing at an ever faster rate in the emerging economies of the world, particularly Asia and South America. Equally with the opening of the direct Houston to Auckland route in 2012 we can reach into a new affluent travel segment of the traditional US market.”

Global tourism trends and industry research now indicate an increasing number of travellers, from both traditional and emerging markets, who are high net-worth, have high-spending patterns and are prepared to pay premium prices for a high-quality, unique tourism experience or product. This fits perfectly with New Zealand’s quality tourism proposition, such as that found in premium visitor destinations like Queenstown.

This trend was highlighted by a recent Boston Consulting Group report that estimates the population of China’s middle-class and affluent consumers will increase from 150 million to more than 400 million over the next decade. That trend is also reflected in other rapidly expanding markets such as India, which alongside China is also a key current and future trade partner for New Zealand.

Mr Wedlock said, “Tourism is one of New Zealand’s largest export earners. This position has been achieved because New Zealand enjoys a fantastic tourism reputation globally. Focusing on promoting New Zealand’s best tourism products alongside air services will help reach into markets with the high-value potential to create even more value for the country across our network and industry.”

This focus also supports the on-going development of increased value and productivity from the tourism export sector, an important goal which has been long been identified by many within Government and the New Zealand tourism industry.

“Auckland Airport’s marketing efforts will involve a wide range of trade and industry partnerships, and a mix of promotional activities including online and PR initiatives. We will be concentrating our efforts on working with high-quality tourism product and with airlines on targeted initiatives to attract visitors from a range of high-value markets and customer segments, particularly within Asia and the Americas, because we see this as a key to growing and sustaining important air-service links for New Zealand”, said Mr Wedlock.

ENDS

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