Visitor numbers expected to rise from September

By SIMON HENDERY

Tourism New Zealand is predicting the Sars virus will mean an 8 per cent drop in overseas visitor arrivals between the start of June and the end of next month.

But it says the local tourism industry has weathered the impact of the virus well, and a strong recovery in visitors is expected from September.

The 8 per cent fall means arrival numbers for the three months will be down about 33,000 on the same period last year. Just over two million overseas visitors travelled to New Zealand last year, a 7 per cent increase on 2001.

Writing in Tourism NZ's newsletter, chief executive George Hickton said New Zealand's reputation as a desirable international holiday destination had stood up well and there was widespread confidence that the country would recover early from the slump.

"Tourism New Zealand will start major recovery campaigns in the coming months and we are hopeful that the industry will soon return to the positive growth we previously enjoyed," he said.

Arrivals from our top three markets Australia, Britain and the US are expected to be up during the June to August period.

But that increase will be offset by a slump in arrival numbers from other top-10 markets, mainly in Asia, which have been hardest hit by Sars.

* Guests spent 1.7 million nights in commercial accommodation during May, a 2 per cent increase on the same month a year earlier.

Caravan and camping grounds had the largest increase in guest nights at 9 per cent, but hotels recorded a 6 per cent drop.

Auckland had the largest decrease in guest nights, down 10,000 or 3 per cent.