Aussies lead rise in spending

By CHRIS DANIELS


Cheap transtasman airfares are bringing more Australians to New Zealand than ever before.

The Tourism Ministry and Tourism Research Council said yesterday that international visitors had spent $6.5 billion in the year to the end of June, up more than 4 per cent from the year before.

And it's the Aussies opening their wallets the widest, with lower airfares driving a big jump in visitors and dollars spent.

More than 130,000 extra visitors came from Australia in the period, increasing spending by more than $250 million - a leap of just under 20 per cent.

The high value of the New Zealand dollar is blamed for the fall in spending by US visitors. They spent $574 million, a drop of 21 per cent.

Australians form the biggest group of visitors, followed by those from the UK, then the Japanese.

Forty-six per cent of international visitors stayed in a hotel - the largest figure for any accommodation type - and 41 per cent stayed with friends or in a private home.

The type of visitor coming here also changed during the past year, with those on tour groups dropping to 2.5 per cent from 4.8 per cent. The research showed this was partly due to the outbreak of Sars last year.

Australia's jump in visitor numbers is also helping the repeat visitor figures, with 48 per cent of all visitors having been here at least once before.

The ministry expects the recent strong growth in tourism to continue at a fast clip, with total visitor spending here reaching $11.3 billion by 2010.