Here at Black Label Experience we follow emerging markets, tourism analysis and trends within travel which help us to build our business profile by aligning our product to what is popular, profitable and sustainable.
One of the travel markets we have been watching is the increase in travellers coming to New Zealand from India – as well as high-net worth travellers visiting New Zealand for business and/or leisure, there are students, Indian families, honeymooners and adventure enthusiasts.
Indian tourists are important to Kiwi travel and tourism businesses because this emerging market brought around 60,000 visitors (at March 2017), a 14.9% growth from the same period the previous year. Nearly half of all Indian tourists coming to New Zealand do so for holiday purposes; almost one third come to visit friends and family.
NZ destination campaigns appeal to Indian visitors
Tourism New Zealand has been very proactive and launched promotional campaigns using well known Indian celebrities to increase New Zealand’s profile as a destination.
Particularly popular have been the campaigns featuring Bollywood star and New Zealand tourism ambassador Sidharth Malhotra who has visited New Zealand a number of times, trying out several incredible activities. There is no doubt that his glowing testimonials about Aotearoa each time he visits have influenced his fans to search for more information on New Zealand (his tweets reach an audience of 2.4 million followers!).
Malhotra said, ‘I feel like I am in paradise. It’s heaven on earth’. He has previously visited the Skytower, the Hobbiton movie set, been cycling at Annandale, met penguins at Kelly Tarltons SEA LIFE Aquarium, tried zip lining and the luge in Rotorua, went on an adventure to swim with New Zealand’s native Hector’s dolphins out of Akaroa Harbour, been on a helicopter flight with former All Black Richie McCaw and enjoyed a motorbike tour with cricket legends Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCallum.
Sidharth Malhotra is a New Zealand tourism ambassador, here he is enjoying the view from the SkyWalk in Auckland (image: NZ Herald).
Airlines are also taking marketing onboard – Malaysia Airlines partnered with Tourism New Zealand earlier this year offering promotional airfares for travel until October 2017 from origin cities Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
In May 2017, Tourism New Zealand announced a partnership with Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand to encourage Indian travellers to come to New Zealand. Under the initiative which will run until April 2018, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand will be positioned as preferred carriers and run promotional airfares for passengers.
Singapore Airlines offers almost 100 weekly flights from 11 Indian cities to Singapore – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vishakhapatnam – after which onward connections via the codeshare alliance with Air New Zealand open up travel to New Zealand via Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
New Zealand tops list of most searched for destinations by Indians
For Indian visitors, New Zealand is in a competitive ‘destination’ set that includes Australia, the UK and Switzerland however according to travel portal Skyscanner, New Zealand topped the list of most searched destinations for Indians last year.
Skyscanner looked at data from 50 million users before concluding that New Zealand was the clear favorite with a 52 percent increase in number of searches. Australia, came in a close second spot with a 47 percent increase in searches. Malaysia saw a 28 percent increase in searches while the United Kingdom saw a 15 percent rise.
Sidharth Malhotra on an adventure to see dolphins in New Zealand (image: Tourism New Zealand)
India tourist consumer profile
Thanks to analysis from sources such as Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) we have wonderful insights about past and future visitor profiles. These historic views and insights to new visitors that are actively considering coming to New Zealand can help shape our marketing strategy.
For the Indian market, specifics include their age, gender, education level, occupation, income level, origin city, purpose of visit and month of arrival.
We are also affected by other factors such as Indian tourists needing visitor visas and existing airline routes – currently, there are no non-stop flights direct from India and visitors must travel to New Zealand via Southeast Asia or Australia. About 65% of Indian visitors come via Singapore, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
Auckland Airport (image: 123rf)
Why do Indian tourists come to New Zealand?
Aside from visiting our wonderful nation to see family and friends, for business or education purposes, New Zealand has some excellent strengths as a holiday destination:
- Regarded as clean and unpolluted
- Great landscapes and scenery such as beautiful beaches, lakes, rivers and forests
- Adventure and outdoor activities
New Zealand has beautiful scenery and wonderful adventure activities in uncrowded locations
Other key factors include friendly people, a diverse range of experiences and the ability to see a lot without travelling far. Black Label Experience can arrange any luxury travel itinerary within New Zealand for first-time visitors who may be unsure of the regional highlights or need more information on top sightseeing or activities.
Sidharth Malhotra prepares a hangi (traditional Maori meal) at Te Puia (image: Tourism New Zealand)
Some of our best known adventure activities include sky diving, bungee jumping, white water rafting and much more.
For your custom New Zealand tourism package, please contact Tania to discuss options that can include luxury accommodation, adventure activities, food and wine experiences, transport or special interest packages for film and sport. Email: [email protected]