Latest news with #ScottTasker
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Tourism industry eager to attract Chinese visitors back to NZ
Skyline Gondola Cableway in Rotorua. Photo: 123rf The tourism industry is eager to roll out the welcome wagon for Chinese visitors who have been slow to return. It was once our second largest overseas visitor market, contributing more than $1.7 billion to New Zealand's economy in 2019. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said the Chinese visitor market was lagging behind. "For the year ending February 2025, Chinese visitor numbers were still down about 44 percent on the same period in 2019, so that's an annual visitor gap of about 191,000 Chinese visitors," he said. Tourism leaders have been discussing how they wanted to turn that around at the industry's showcase, TRENZ, in Rotorua. Softness in the Chinese economy was deterring some from travelling, while visa free travel to Asian destinations to the likes of Singapore and Thailand was enticing others to look closer to home for their next holiday, Tasker said. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed earlier this week between North Island tourism leaders to attract more visitors to explore the regions, stay longer and spend more. China was one of the key markets in their sights. On Wednesday, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced visitors wanting to travel to New Zealand won't need to get their translated documents certified. "It's about removing the friction, so the removal of the certification of the translation into English is one of those things that will make a difference," Upston said. "But we're very clear with the China market that we're open for business. We're really keen to see them back." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi China Travel Service managing director Lisa Li couldn't wait to share the news. "Now we've removed that and it's absolutely saving them money, saving them time," she said. Visa-free travel would be a gamechanger for attracting Chinese visitors but making the visa process easier and quicker would also help, especially for larger groups, Li said. "If we can give them some special treatment on the visa processing, that would be absolutely helpful for those big corporations to send the people coming through," she said. It could make a difference to make it easier for people who already had an Australian visa, Li said. Tourism New Zealand planned to use some of a recent funding boost to entice more Chinese visitors to our shores. Chief executive René de Monchy said the way Chinese visitors were travelling had changed a lot. "Of that 40 percent or so missing visitors, many of them were larger, shorter staying, dual destination group travel. That consumer trend has really moved on, they are going on to other destinations that are cheaper," he said. But that was not necessarily a bad outcome. "What we are seeing is a real growth in smaller groups, that stay for a longer period of time. They, therefore, spend more money, visit more regions," de Monchy said. "But we need to activate that audience to actually get them to come to New Zealand. "China evolves rapidly in terms of its travel behaviour. I think the future visitor will look quite different than the visitor looked five or six years ago." Rotorua sent a trade delegation to China earlier this year. Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button joined, saying they usually had eight percent Chinese visitors, but that had been roughly halved. "I was blown away with the interest in the premium, small group experiences and how many agents are selling Chinese itineraries where they connect to nature and they do things that have a really strong sustainability edge," he said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was hoping to travel to China this year to make sure New Zealand was firmly in the sights of Chinese travellers. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
05-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
North Island tourism operators 'move beyond competition' with new alliance
More than 60 tourism operators will highlight the North Island's tourism hotspots like Rotorua at an Australian showcase later this year. Photo: 123RF North Island tourism leaders are banding together in a new alliance, in a bid to get more visitor's boots on the ground and into the regions. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed at the Auckland Airport Tourism Forum in Rotorua, ahead of this week's TRENZ tourism business conference. The partnership involves three airports and 15 regional tourism organisations. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said regions were already competing against overseas destinations to attract visitors, so this would be a more coordinated approach to promote the North Island as a destination. "The goal behind that is to encourage more visitors to explore more of the North Island, to spread around and to stay longer and increase their spend across our regions, and that's about shifting visitors from perhaps fly-in, fly-out into deeper more rewarding journeys across regions," Tasker said. This partnership - which was the first of its kind for North Island regional tourism organisations - would combine their insights, networks and marketing and use their collective pulling powers to entice more travellers, he said. They would target the Australian, US and Chinese visitors markets. Later this year, more than 60 tourism operators will connect with Australian travel sellers across the ditch at a North Island showcase. Total visitors arrivals had recovered to more than 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the year to December. Auckland Airport had seen an 11 percent increase in overseas visitor arrivals year-on-year to last December, and overall, the airport had recovered to about 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Tasker said they were trying to close that gap and their goal was for the country's total visitor arrivals to be back at pre-Covid levels by the end of summer 2026, he said. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited destination director Annie Dundas said this partnership helped them to strengthen their international presence. "The travel landscape is changing, and we need to be smarter about how we show up overseas to sell our respective regions," she said. "This partnership allows us to be clearer in our proposition, which in turn will make it easier to meet the needs of our travel partners overseas and ultimately future travellers." RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson called the partnership a "bold and necessary step forward". "By working together, we move beyond competition and into collaboration - showcasing the sheer breadth of experiences available in our part of Aotearoa, from coastlines to culture, from wellness to adventure," he said. Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the tourism industry was still in recovery mode and a little bit behind compared to the rest of the world. While she was confident the industry would catch up, she said it was going to take a collaborative approach "The reality is that we're operating in a highly competitive market for airline seat capacity and as a long haul destination we need to make sure that as a tourism sector we're working together to drive traveller demand," she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Major North Island tourism alliance aims to boost international visitors
'Individually, each region has a fabulous offering but we're wanting to work together to help international visitors to better connect those dots to experience everything that is wonderful and unique about the North Island. 'As the gateway airport for many visitors to New Zealand, we're really proud to come together with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, RotoruaNZ and the other regional tourism organisations to develop and support this partnership.' She said that the partnership builds on the work Auckland Airport has already done with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and RotoruaNZ over the past year to attract back more Australian visitors with a dual region North Island destination proposition. Hurihanganui believes that effort is already flowing through to an increase in Australian visitation, with the number of Australian tourists growing from 83% of pre-pandemic volumes last February to 92% one year on, equating to roughly an additional 110,000 tourists. As of 2025, Australian arrivals make up 42% of all visitor arrivals to New Zealand. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said: 'It's about working together and doing things together with a unified proposition and combining resources, particularly in travel-focused channels. The initial trade activity will start later this year.' That initial trade activity will take place in September in Australia with the North Island Showcase. It will see over 60 North Island tourism operators connect with key Australian travel sellers at two events in Sydney and Melbourne. Tātaki Auckland Unlimited's Destination director Annie Dundas said the MoU was a 'big step forward' in helping to strengthen the North Island's international presence. 'The travel landscape is changing and we need to be smarter about how we show up overseas to sell our respective regions. This partnership allows us to be clearer in our proposition, which in turn will make it easier to meet the needs of our travel partners overseas and ultimately future travellers,' Dundas said. 'We see this as a massive opportunity, and we're excited to be part of this collaborative effort.' RotoruaNZ's chief executive Andrew Wilson echoed the sentiment, believing the partnership will allow the organisations to move 'beyond competition and into collaboration'. 'This partnership is a bold and necessary step forward for the North Island's visitor economy. RotoruaNZ is proud to stand alongside our regional whānau to support a stronger, more connected North Island proposition,' Wilson said. 'This will not only help international visitors see more of what's on offer, it will encourage longer stays, more meaningful travel and deeper connections with our people and places. Together, we're making the North Island a compelling destination in its own right.' The full list of organisations who have signed the MoU includes: Northland Inc Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Destination Hauraki Coromandel Hamilton & Waikato Tourism Tourism Bay of Plenty RotoruaNZ Tairāwhiti Gisborne Destination Great Lake Taupō Visit Ruapehu Venture Taranaki Hawkes Bay Tourism Whanganui and Partners Central Economic Development Agency Destination Wairarapa WellingtonNZ Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
Scoop
02-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fruit & Veg Takes Flight From AKL & New Cargo Precinct On The Horizon
Press Release – Auckland Airport Media Release | 2 May 2025 Fruit & veg takes flight from AKL & new cargo precinct on the horizon Overall fruit and vegetable air freight was up 34% since last summer 175% (1,448 tonnes) growth in avocados air freighted from AKL across the 2024/25 summer months compared to previous summer Cherries and capsicums were high on the export list over summer (2,888 tonnes and 1,493 tonnes respectively) New cargo precinct development underway at AKL, bringing cargo operators together into one place, and reducing truck trips on core roading network. Freighting fresh fruit and vegetables by air cargo was on the rise via Auckland Airport over the summer months, with a standout being the avocado. Overall, fruit and vegetable air freight was up 34% since last summer, flying from AKL to destinations around the world (year on year from 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025). North Island avocado company Avanza – who exported over 550 tonnes via Auckland Airport globally over December 2024 to February 2025 – said impacts from the recent Cyclone Tam are not yet fully known but an increased crop in terms of fruit numbers will help for the year ahead, after just recently coming back after Cyclone Gabrielle. AKL saw avocado air freight increase by a whopping 175% on the previous summer, given the fruit had been so heavily impacted by severe weather in early 2023, impacting crops all the way into summer of 2023/2024. Between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025, more than 1,448 tonnes of avocados were exported from the airport in total, with the highest demand to destinations including Australia and markets in Asia including Thailand and Singapore. Auckland Airport's Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker said: 'New Zealand growers compete on the international stage, and they've made themselves successful through quality and premium products. 'Time is of the essence with fresh produce and great air connections into key global markets means produce arriving in the best shape possible to command premium prices.' Avanza's Steve Trickett said they are still assessing the impacts from the recent cyclone. 'We remain positive for the next season, but the Mid North appears to have been hit the worst. The Bay of Plenty, where around 60 per cent of volume comes from, were mostly unaffected depending on orchard location, but it's likely there will be some affect to cosmetic grade with things like wind rub. 'For us, being able to reliably freight our great Kiwi produce around the world means a lot. It must travel a long way to get anywhere. After we do the work on our side in the orchard and in the packing houses, we then rely on our cargo operators to get it around the globe safely and efficiently, so we can feed the world with our nutritious New Zealand fruit,' said Mr Trickett. Seasonal produce Mr Tasker added: 'We saw solid growth at AKL over summer with an increase in fresh produce, not just avocados but also cherries and blueberries, all being freighted in the belly hold of aircraft.' There were 2,888 tonnes of cherries – the equivalent of filling up 30 x 747 freighters – air freighted to destinations including Greater China and Vietnam across the summer months, making it the top export item overall for summer in terms of tonnage. This was up by 53% year on year. Capsicums were the second largest seasonal produce item with 1,493 tonnes, mainly to destinations including Japan and Australia, and the fourth largest export item overall for summer coming in after cherries, infant formula and food preparation items such as biscuits and jams. Mr Tasker said blueberries were the fourth largest seasonal produce item freighted out of AKL (after avocados) with 935 tonnes, up 36 per cent on the previous year. 'With cherries from Cromwell to avocados from Katikati and citrus from the far North, connectivity is key to ensure local growers can tap markets in all corners of the globe,' said Mr Tasker. Auckland Airport's share of total New Zealand international air cargo has grown to 86 %. New cargo precinct Preparations are underway for a new cargo precinct, located in Manu Tapu Drive, directly adjacent to the new 250,000m2 airfield expansion. 'Cargo is a core part of the airport eco-system but currently, cargo and freight operators are spread out across the precinct from when it was set up in the late 1960s,' said Mr Tasker. 'To make things more efficient, these operators will be progressively moving into a single cargo precinct. This new precinct will function more like a modern port.' With airfield access including a purpose-built road leading straight from the cargo precinct onto the expanded airfield area, due to open later this year, the new precinct future-proofs AKL's cargo capacity. The cargo precinct will also link in directly with the upgraded roading network, with improved access via the newly built Te Ara Kōrako, as well as improvements to Joseph Hammond Road, George Bolt Memorial Drive and Manu Tapu Drive. This will move truck trips off the main roads to the passenger terminals at Auckland Airport and instead send them directly to the cargo precinct. 'The $30.7 million investment in the airport's transport network has been key to enabling improved access to what will be a new cargo precinct. This provides cargo and freight operators with improved access into the cargo precinct, taking some of the incoming and outgoing cargo off the airport's core roading network and prioritising customer journeys to the terminals. 'Smooth cargo operations are an essential contribution to New Zealand's economic output. A daily wide body passenger aircraft across a year can carry around $500 million in high-value freight, these contributed to over $2.6 billion in total of exported goods over the summer season. 'It's crucial that we're assisting regional New Zealand to efficiently get their goods out to the world and air cargo will remain an important part of our infrastructure upgrades as we're building the airport for the future,' said Mr Tasker. In a recent EY report, Auckland Airport is projected to facilitate NZ$41.1 billion in annual freight movements by 2032, supported by its investment in aeronautical infrastructure, including an expanded airfield and new domestic jet terminal. Today, Auckland airport is New Zealand's third largest port by cargo value handled, with $26.6 billion of exports and imports combined in 2024. The summer aircraft connections at Auckland Airport generated over an estimated $3.2 billion in visitor spend in New Zealand in the last quarter of 2024. Notes: Summer fruit and vegetable exports from 1 December 2024 – 28 February 2025: Cherries (2,888 tonnes) +53% year on year Capsicum (1,493 tonnes) – 6% year on year Avocados (1,448 tonnes) +175% year on year Blueberries (935 tonnes) +36% year on year Tomatoes (703 tonnes) +57% year on year Kiwiberries (187 tonnes) Apricots (100 tonnes) Strawberries (36 tonnes) Peaches (22 tonnes) Plums (17 tonnes) – up 671% year on year Content Sourced from Original url
Scoop
02-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fruit & Veg Takes Flight From AKL & New Cargo Precinct On The Horizon
Press Release – Auckland Airport Between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025, more than 1,448 tonnes of avocados were exported from the airport in total, with the highest demand to destinations including Australia and markets in Asia including Thailand and Singapore. Media Release | 2 May 2025 Fruit & veg takes flight from AKL & new cargo precinct on the horizon Overall fruit and vegetable air freight was up 34% since last summer 175% (1,448 tonnes) growth in avocados air freighted from AKL across the 2024/25 summer months compared to previous summer Cherries and capsicums were high on the export list over summer (2,888 tonnes and 1,493 tonnes respectively) New cargo precinct development underway at AKL, bringing cargo operators together into one place, and reducing truck trips on core roading network. Freighting fresh fruit and vegetables by air cargo was on the rise via Auckland Airport over the summer months, with a standout being the avocado. Overall, fruit and vegetable air freight was up 34% since last summer, flying from AKL to destinations around the world (year on year from 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025). North Island avocado company Avanza – who exported over 550 tonnes via Auckland Airport globally over December 2024 to February 2025 – said impacts from the recent Cyclone Tam are not yet fully known but an increased crop in terms of fruit numbers will help for the year ahead, after just recently coming back after Cyclone Gabrielle. AKL saw avocado air freight increase by a whopping 175% on the previous summer, given the fruit had been so heavily impacted by severe weather in early 2023, impacting crops all the way into summer of 2023/2024. Between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025, more than 1,448 tonnes of avocados were exported from the airport in total, with the highest demand to destinations including Australia and markets in Asia including Thailand and Singapore. Auckland Airport's Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker said: 'New Zealand growers compete on the international stage, and they've made themselves successful through quality and premium products. 'Time is of the essence with fresh produce and great air connections into key global markets means produce arriving in the best shape possible to command premium prices.' Avanza's Steve Trickett said they are still assessing the impacts from the recent cyclone. 'We remain positive for the next season, but the Mid North appears to have been hit the worst. The Bay of Plenty, where around 60 per cent of volume comes from, were mostly unaffected depending on orchard location, but it's likely there will be some affect to cosmetic grade with things like wind rub. 'For us, being able to reliably freight our great Kiwi produce around the world means a lot. It must travel a long way to get anywhere. After we do the work on our side in the orchard and in the packing houses, we then rely on our cargo operators to get it around the globe safely and efficiently, so we can feed the world with our nutritious New Zealand fruit,' said Mr Trickett. Seasonal produce Mr Tasker added: 'We saw solid growth at AKL over summer with an increase in fresh produce, not just avocados but also cherries and blueberries, all being freighted in the belly hold of aircraft.' There were 2,888 tonnes of cherries – the equivalent of filling up 30 x 747 freighters – air freighted to destinations including Greater China and Vietnam across the summer months, making it the top export item overall for summer in terms of tonnage. This was up by 53% year on year. Capsicums were the second largest seasonal produce item with 1,493 tonnes, mainly to destinations including Japan and Australia, and the fourth largest export item overall for summer coming in after cherries, infant formula and food preparation items such as biscuits and jams. Mr Tasker said blueberries were the fourth largest seasonal produce item freighted out of AKL (after avocados) with 935 tonnes, up 36 per cent on the previous year. 'With cherries from Cromwell to avocados from Katikati and citrus from the far North, connectivity is key to ensure local growers can tap markets in all corners of the globe,' said Mr Tasker. Auckland Airport's share of total New Zealand international air cargo has grown to 86 %. New cargo precinct Preparations are underway for a new cargo precinct, located in Manu Tapu Drive, directly adjacent to the new 250,000m2 airfield expansion. 'Cargo is a core part of the airport eco-system but currently, cargo and freight operators are spread out across the precinct from when it was set up in the late 1960s,' said Mr Tasker. 'To make things more efficient, these operators will be progressively moving into a single cargo precinct. This new precinct will function more like a modern port.' With airfield access including a purpose-built road leading straight from the cargo precinct onto the expanded airfield area, due to open later this year, the new precinct future-proofs AKL's cargo capacity. The cargo precinct will also link in directly with the upgraded roading network, with improved access via the newly built Te Ara Kōrako, as well as improvements to Joseph Hammond Road, George Bolt Memorial Drive and Manu Tapu Drive. This will move truck trips off the main roads to the passenger terminals at Auckland Airport and instead send them directly to the cargo precinct. 'The $30.7 million investment in the airport's transport network has been key to enabling improved access to what will be a new cargo precinct. This provides cargo and freight operators with improved access into the cargo precinct, taking some of the incoming and outgoing cargo off the airport's core roading network and prioritising customer journeys to the terminals. 'Smooth cargo operations are an essential contribution to New Zealand's economic output. A daily wide body passenger aircraft across a year can carry around $500 million in high-value freight, these contributed to over $2.6 billion in total of exported goods over the summer season. 'It's crucial that we're assisting regional New Zealand to efficiently get their goods out to the world and air cargo will remain an important part of our infrastructure upgrades as we're building the airport for the future,' said Mr Tasker. In a recent EY report, Auckland Airport is projected to facilitate NZ$41.1 billion in annual freight movements by 2032, supported by its investment in aeronautical infrastructure, including an expanded airfield and new domestic jet terminal. Today, Auckland airport is New Zealand's third largest port by cargo value handled, with $26.6 billion of exports and imports combined in 2024. The summer aircraft connections at Auckland Airport generated over an estimated $3.2 billion in visitor spend in New Zealand in the last quarter of 2024. Notes: Summer fruit and vegetable exports from 1 December 2024 – 28 February 2025: Cherries (2,888 tonnes) +53% year on year Capsicum (1,493 tonnes) – 6% year on year Avocados (1,448 tonnes) +175% year on year Blueberries (935 tonnes) +36% year on year Tomatoes (703 tonnes) +57% year on year Kiwiberries (187 tonnes) Apricots (100 tonnes) Strawberries (36 tonnes) Peaches (22 tonnes) Plums (17 tonnes) – up 671% year on year
