Air NZ ups Japan connections
From late January, the Japanese tourist market will have seven new ways to reach New Zealand.
From late January, the Japanese tourist market will have seven new ways to reach New Zealand.
From 25 January to 14 March 2012 Air New Zealand will operate a weekly service into Auckland from either Nagoya, Fukuoka or Kagoshima.
The seven flight-types (differing by time and port) will rotate week by week. The number will be down from the 12 run last summer but up on 2010.
“For obvious reasons the Japanese market has been in decline since March this year. Together with Tourism New Zealand, we have been working hard to return the market to growth,” said Air New Zealand general manager Japan Ed Overy.
He said there new flights were selling well, indicating a renewed optimism in the outbound market from Japan.
Mr Overy attributed this to a recent reintroduction of direct services into Christchurch last month and also the resumption of regular Boeing 777-200 services.”
Japanese tourists spend more per person than any other nationality and are New Zealand’s fifth-largest tourist market. In the year ending Octopber 2011, 74,399 people came from Japan into New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Asia Markets, Mark Frood, says the increased capacity supports his cautiously optimistic outlook for continued arrival growth.
“The summer season charter programme shows that demand from regional Japan for destination New Zealand is recovering. There is a sense of growing optimism in the outbound tourism market and the increased capacity has been warmly welcomed by the Japanese tourism industry,” he says.
Typical itineraries for visitors flying into Auckland on the charter services include onward travel to popular tourist destinations including Christchurch, Queenstown and Rotorua.
Charlotte Woodfield
Fri, 09 Dec 2011
Fri, 09 Dec 2011
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Air NZ ups Japan connections
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