NZ Economy Set to Benefit from Outbound Kiwi Travellers

New industry statistics due out this week are expected to show an increase in the number of Kiwis embarking on offshore cruises which will also boost local tourist arrivals.

The inbound cruise ship market  for  2015/16* is likely to be worth $421.5 million to the local economy, with experts saying the growing interest from Kiwis in taking cruises will also provide a further boost to tourism numbers here.

Linda Halliday, general manager of cruise for House of Travel, says greater demand for cruises by Kiwis means more ships will include New Zealand on their itinerary, and consequently drive  numbers of inbound tourist visits and travel spending.

She says the company saw a significant increase of 14% in cruise sales last year and expects the national figures due out next week to reflect similar positive growth.

“There will be approximately 119 voyages and 246,808 unique visitors to the country as a result of cruising, according to the forecast. “That’s a huge number of people coming to shop, use local services, and attend tourist activities on their stops here,” says Halliday.

“Globally, it’s estimated 23 million people will take a cruise this year, with around $4 billion being invested in new ships, and 20,000 new beds being added to ocean and river cruising,” says Halliday.

“In New Zealand, that trend is definitely having an effect. Passenger figures jumped by 23% in 2013 compared to the previous year, which was stronger than several other key markets, including Australia and North America.”

The Sea Princess has already added Auckland as a new stopover on the 89-day South American cruise, which will see up to 2000 passengers visit our local port in early 2017.

“It’s a nod to New Zealand’s growing cruise market that this ship has included us on the itinerary, and it will have a beneficial effect not just on Auckland, but also on tourism further inland as excursions to Tauranga, Hobbiton in Matamata and the Coromandel are all popular with passengers who want to spend the day seeing a bit more of the country,” Halliday says.

She says recent research has found that around one-quarter of passengers return within the year of their cruise for a more in-depth visit, driving repeat tourism.

Halliday says despite the promising figures to date,  there is still significant room for growth.

“Only one percent of Kiwis have ever taken a cruise - well behind Australia at four percent and UK travellers at eight percent”.