Australians cross Tasman in droves

By SIMON HENDERY

Strewth - Australian holidaymakers have flocked to New Zealand this year, enticed by cheaper transtasman airfares and a Tourism New Zealand advertising blitz.

Short-term visitor arrivals from across the Tasman were up more than 20 per cent in the first three months, a phenomenon Tourism NZ puts down to the jump in air capacity between the two countries and its own efforts to sell New Zealand as a holiday destination to Australians.

Statistics NZ's latest monthly arrival figures, released yesterday, showed just under 75,000 Australians travelled here on short-term visits last month, a 23.4 per cent increase on the number of arrivals during the same month last year.

Overall, short-term visitor arrivals for March from all countries were up 9 per cent.

"Australia is definitely our star market at the moment," Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton said yesterday. "The increased air capacity on the Tasman has opened up the transtasman route to visitors. We have seen around 24 per cent more capacity added on transtasman routes in just the last six months."

Hickton said increased flight availability and competitive fares made New Zealand an extremely attractive destination for Australians.

Tourism NZ had also run a heavy Australian advertising schedule in the first three months of the year, including TV advertising on Channel 9, full page advertisements in weekend newspaper supplements, ads in eight major magazines, and four weeks of cinema advertising around The Return of the King.

Outside the Australian market, yesterday's March arrival figures confirmed the tourism industry has made a strong recovery from last year's impact of the Sars virus, Hickton said.