United Kingdom

Market Overview

New Zealand has long been a favourite holiday destination for British travellers. More than 230,000 visit annually, making the UK market second only to Australia for visitor numbers and expenditure. However, travel to New Zealand and other long haul destinations was hit hard by the economic downturn, and the market has continued to decline.

The maturity of the UK market means New Zealand is unlikely to see the growth in visitor arrivals that was seen prior to the global financial crisis. Tourism New Zealand's focus is on converting those potential visitors who are seriously considering New Zealand as a holiday destination and growing the value of these visitors.

Hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2011 provided New Zealand with the opportunity to showcase the country's attractions to millions of people in our key target markets. The tournament also proved to be a strong attraction for visitors from the United Kingdom and Ireland, with more than 22,000 travelling to New Zealand to follow their teams, and enjoy events and tourism experiences between matches.

Half of British visitors to New Zealand have already been here at least once before, and three-quarters of British travellers visit regions beyond the main tourist centres.  British travelers are amongst the longest stayers in New Zealand, staying on average 29.2 days.  The majority of these travelers are visiting for holiday (45%) or are visiting friends or relatives in New Zealand (46%).

The Internet is a key tool for British travellers researching, planning and booking their holidays. Travel agents are used extensively to book flights and other holiday aspects. Many of the travel bookings made online are through travel agents' websites. Around 80 per cent of British travellers to New Zealand are either free independent travellers (FIT) or semi-independent, making a significant proportion of their bookings as they travel the country.