Strong growth from the Asian region has prompted Air New Zealand (ANZ) to increase flights to Tokyo and Shanghai.
For the first time since the Auckland-Shanghai route was started in 2006, daily return services are now being offered. Last year, the carrier announced it was dropping its Beijing service to focus on building up Shanghai (see news).
Chinese travellers have now overtaken North American and UK visitors to become New Zealand's second-largest inbound tourist market after Australia, reported Norm Thompson, ANZ’s deputy chief executive officer and acting chief sales officer. He said they were opting for longer stays of up to seven days and seeing more of the country than just Auckland and Rotorua, which is famous for its hot springs.
In 2008, China and New Zealand signed a Joint Trade Agreement, along with a raft of educational programmes, that has strengthened ties between both countries.
After a temporary decrease in demand due to the Christchurch earthquake and Sendai tsunami, services between the Kiwi gateway and Tokyo have also gone daily.
For more about the airline, visit airnewzealand.com.
Report by Margie T Logarta
