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QUEENSTOWN TO SCORE WHEN JAPANESE RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND

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June, 2011

Queenstown and the Southern Lakes could see a bounce back in the Japanese tourist market this summer despite the March tsunami and Christchurch's February earthquake.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt has just returned from representing the region at the postponed Kiwilink Japan tourism tradeshow, twice cancelled earlier this year, first because of the February earthquake and then the devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March.
Agents are already noticing a pick-up in Japanese summer bookings for New Zealand with Air New Zealand ``looking at their orders tacking up for Queenstown this summer', Mr Everitt said.
It's coming back and there's some confidence there.
There's been significant investment by Air New Zealand, which has increased seat capacity by 20 percent from Tokyo to Auckland for summer by reintroducing its Jumbo Jets onto that route, after five years.
I'm very pleased to report there's a lot of optimisim for our summer, it's back in a very good space.
Mr Everitt, who was Tourism New Zealand's regional manager in Japan during the 1995 Kobe earthquake, said Queenstown was expected to pick up another night on the average two-night Japanese stay this summer - a 50 percent increase compared with last year in what is a lucrative market. Hotel accommodation in Christchurch was still ``quite tight' after earthquake damage there so there was likely to be a shift in itineraries around the usual Christchurch stay which would benefit Queenstown and the Southern Lakes.
There was still some hesitancy among Japanese after the Christchurch earthquake and tsunami however after the 1995 Kobe earthquake the Japanese had started to travel again within six months and signs of that were already evident this year.
However, we've had a double whammy, their's (earthquake/tsunami) and our's (Christchurch), so it may take a bit longer until we see that bounce back, Mr Everitt said.
Meanwhile, Destination Queenstown welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement in India this week of a new deal with Bollywood film-makers to attract more big budget films, which was expected to bring in millions of dollars to New Zealand.
New Zealand already attracts 30,000 Indian tourists each year.