Germany's economy is stabilising, with hefty government spending
and a rebound in global trade helping lift the country out of
recession. New Zealand has seen good growth in arrivals,...
Market Overview
New Zealand is a popular holiday destination among Germans, who
appreciate the mix of natural wonders and local culture. However it
remains an aspirational holiday for many travellers, so the
challenge for New Zealand lies in converting the dream of a New
Zealand holiday into reality.
German visitors are independent travellers and four out of five
will travel beyond the major tourist centres. They often start
researching New Zealand well before travelling and are keen users
of guidebooks. However, German visitors are likely to make the
majority of their travel arrangements as they travel around New
Zealand.
Holiday visitors make up 70 per cent of German visitor arrivals
and nearly a quarter will have previously visited New Zealand. More
than two thirds visit another country en route to New Zealand.
After a period of decline, the market has grown slowly but
steadily (35 per cent), since 1999. While awareness of New Zealand
is good, travellers will put off a holiday here because other
destinations are a higher priority and also because of the high
cost of travel to New Zealand.
Last year Tourism New Zealand moved to promoting New Zealand in
targeted German cities, rather than taking a countrywide approach.
This has seen some success, with arrivals from Germany rising 4.5
per cent in the year ending September 2009, compared with a 1.8 per
cent decline across all international markets. New Zealand's share
of the German outbound market grew from 0.9 per cent to 1.1 per
cent in the 2008 calendar year.