New Caledonia reef diving. The French territory is growing in popularity among New Zealanders.
New Caledonia reef diving. The French territory is growing in popularity among New Zealanders.
Argentina, Cuba and Brazil are among the fastest growing travel destinations for New Zealanders enjoying new air links and a growing appetite to get off the beaten track, according to a House of Travel survey.
There has also been a surge in Kiwi travellers also seen in Vietnam, Myanmar, NewCaledonia, Peru and Mexico.
House of Travel marketing director Ken Freer said trends of 2016 reflected more accessibility and increased capacity to certain destinations, as well as Kiwis' growing desire to tick off once remote bucket list experiences.
The strong growth to Argentina - with around a 150 per cent increase in Kiwi holidaymakers in 2016 compared with 2015 - could be attributed t to Air New Zealand's direct flight from Auckland to Buenos Aires.
Brazil and Peru had also grown in popularity with Kiwi travellers, with 50 per cent and 40 per cent growth respectively. South America in general has rocketed to the top of many Kiwis' travel wishlist, particularly for bucket list experiences such as Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands and Iguazu Falls.
Once a place known for being relatively difficult to get to from this country Air New Zealand's new flight route has been a complete "game changer" for travel to South America.
Freer said coming in as the second fastest growing destination for Kiwi travel was Cuba - with 128 per cent growth to 1280 travellers.
Vietnam, New Caledonia, Mexico and Myanmar all had an increase of more than 30 per cent.
"Cuba is a now or never destination. It has a reputation for being somewhat untouched by tourists, but with a number of US airlines kicking off daily scheduled flights to Cuba and easier access to Cuba from New Zealand, tourists are flocking there before the Cuban old world charm disappears.''
Thailand was a destination that consistently makes our top 10 for Kiwi travellers, and Kiwis were now extending their trips beyond the kingdom and into places such as Vietnam and Myanmar.
Vietnam is number four on the list, with year on year growth of 45 per cent, largely helped by Air New Zealand's Auckland to Ho Chi Minh direct flight.
"New Caledonia's growth can be attributed to all sorts of things - predominantly increased awareness of New Caledonia as a Pacific holiday destination and the attraction of its French flair,'' said Freer.
"So many of our travel trends for 2016 were dictated by increased capacity to new destinations. When airlines choose to fly somewhere new from New Zealand, particularly somewhere less-common for Kiwi travel such as Vietnam or South America, New Zealanders are likely to jump at the opportunity.''
Australia remains New Zealand travellers' top destination with 1.3 million Kiwis crossing the ditch in the year to October.
