NZ’s adventure capital of Queenstown is leading the way when it comes to the destinations Aussies are returning to in Aotearoa post the pandemic.
New statistics released at the Auckland Airport tourism Forum found Queenstown is a rising star when it comes to Australian visitors to Aotearoa.
Queenstown was the only destination to see real growth at 117 per cent of 2019 levels, while for the rest of the country, the visiting friends and family recovery is at 86 per cent of 2019 levels, and 70 per cent for holidaymakers.
The forum, which takes place every year before the opening of New Zealand’s tourism business event TRENZ, revealed there were 1.27 million Australian visitors who travelled to New Zealand overall in the 12 months to February 2024, compared with 1.54 million in 2019.
The gap in the Australian inbound tourism recovery represents New Zealand’s largest visitor volume shortfall (-265,000 visitors) compared to pre-pandemic, when Australia made up 40…
