Market Overview
The United States is New Zealand's third-largest international
tourism market in terms of visitor arrivals, and it is a market
where there are real opportunities for growth in the long term.
Tourism New Zealand is working in the US to grow visitor numbers
and value through increased marketing, public relations, and
sector-specific activities including business events (incentives
and conventions).
The US is the world's largest long-haul market. In 2011, the
average length of stay for American visitors was 18.9 days, and
two-thirds of Americans travelled beyond New Zealand's main tourist
centres to the regions.
Around 45 per cent of American visitors also combine New Zealand
with Australia on a trip to the South Pacific. This figure is often
higher in some sectors such as cruise and series coach touring.
A growing number of Americans travel New Zealand by cruise ship.
The US is New Zealand's second-largest cruise market after
Australia. It is anticipated that more than 32,000 US cruise
passengers will have visited New Zealand in the 2011/2012 cruise
season. There is strong potential for growth in this sector of the
US market, particularly by increasing value by encouraging greater
pre or post cruise touring.
Of all our international visitors, travellers from the US are
most satisfied with their New Zealand holidays, according to
Tourism New Zealand's Visitor Experience Monitor research. One
aspect of our work in the US is to tap into this positive word of
mouth and encourage US visitors to recommend New Zealand to friends
and family.
The USA's slower than expected economic recovery contributed to
a drop in US visitor arrivals to New Zealand in 2011 (down 2.6 per
cent to 184,714). The market's performance...
Published monthly, the International Visitor Arrivals (IVA)
survey measures international visitor arrivals into New Zealand by
month and by year. For more information on IVA visit Statistics New Zealand.
Published quarterly, the International Visitor Survey (IVS) is
carried out by the Tourism Strategy Group. Research is based on
around 5,200 interviews conducted with international visitors as
they depart from Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch airports. For
more information on IVS visit the Economic Development Group's website.
For more information including tourism research and data, policy,
and publications please see the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment.