New Zealand eyes double digit growth in visitors from India

Mumbai, Jul 17: New Zealand, a country known for its volcanoes, lakes, glaciers and adventure sports, is looking to continue with double digit growth in tourist arrivals from India in the current fiscal.

"We hosted 47,664 visitors from India in 2015-16 (June-May fiscal)and this financial year also we are expecting to continue with the double digit growth.

"To aid this, we have begun 100 per cent brand campaign, including working with our global partners for presence in social media, partnerships with key trade partners among others," Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager - South and South East Asia - Steven Dixon told PTI here.

He said India is important for New Zealand and ranks among the top 10 source markets globally. "New Zealand is becoming a popular destination as we are seeing double digit growth from all our source markets, including from India.

Our top source markets are Australia, China, United States, United Kingdom and Germany," Dixon added. According to him, New Zealand has been positioned as an aspirational destination mainly for a target audience between 25-54 years independent professionals living in cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad among others.

"We are mainly looking to attract independent professionals mainly based in the big cities in India falling between 25-54 years. However, we are also trying to reach out to a similar audience in tier II and III cities through social media campaigns," he added.

New Zealand, which is mainly popular as an adventure destination, is also promoting self-drive, its food, Maori culture and glaciers. "Indians are by default attracted to adventure, so that is not going to change. But besides adventure, we also have so much more to offer.

We have best scenic routes that can be covered by self-driving, glaciers, our cuisines and culture," Dixon added.

PTI