Air NZ expected to deliver US visitor boost
With visitor numbers from the US down, AIr New Zealand pins hopes on extra services.
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Tourism New Zealand expects Air New Zealand to reverse a drop in visitor numbers from North America.
Arrivals for the year to June were down 2.5%, mainly because of the ongoing economic crisis and a reduced air service.
Statistics New Zealand figures show there were nearly 6000 fewer US tourists to New Zealand in the year to June than there were in the previous year.
Air NZ says it will boost capacity to San Francisco, Vancouver and Los Angeles from next April.
Retiring deputy ceo Norm Thompson says the extra flights will add 5000 additional seats every month to North America.
It will operate daily return flights between Auckland and San Francisco, two flights daily from Auckland to Los Angeles and three return services every week in off-peak periods between Auckland and Vancouver, Canada.
Tourism New Zealand ceo Kevin Bowler hopes Air NZ’s decision will provide a huge boost to the visitor industry.
He classifies the US market as a priority for Tourism NZ and is expecting interest from Americans to be the highest ever next year with the release of The Hobbit movie.
Blair Cunningham
Thu, 04 Oct 2012
Thu, 04 Oct 2012
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Air NZ expected to deliver US visitor boost
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