Latest fromTourism & Leisure Industries

Airline, Tourism NZ extend partnership
Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand will extend a $20 million marketing partnership to promote the country in important markets over the next year.

Skifield invests for long run
Owners of The Remarkables skifield are laying long-life cast-iron piping throughout the trails in what they call a vote of confidence in the future of the ski business.

Air NZ - Tourism NZ partnership extended
Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand will extend a $20 million marketing partnership to promote the country in key overseas markets.

Auckland's $7b plan to pull in tourists
Seaplanes, America's Cup yacht charters and the Auckland Harbour Bridge SkyPath are among forecast visitor experiences tipped to boost the city's tourism income.

Competition rising for NZ tourism firms
New Zealand tourism operators face increased competition from other countries for their slice of the $1.6 trillion of spending by international travellers.

Queenstown welcome mat out for rich-list jets
A new mini-terminal has been opened in Queenstown to handle an increase in the number of private jets coming to the resort town.

China Business: Shared vision takes flight
Tourism industry players are seeing the benefits of joining forces for the China market, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Dunedin $100m hotel plans scrapped
Plans for a $100 million waterfront hotel in Dunedin have been scrapped and the developers' partnership with the council has descended into acrimony.

Tough times on tourism trail
Salam Abdullah repeats a single English phrase while leading tourists across the sandy, sun-blasted slopes above Cairo's Giza pyramids.

Peter Calder: Gracious guides 100% Pure gold
Masako Shinagawa has walked the Milford Track 188 times. I think. My eyes glazed over when she got to the "one hundred and eighty ..."

Northland tops holiday hot list
Northland is the most popular summer holiday destination, according to an Automobile Association survey.

Chinese investments approved
Chinese companies are stepping up New Zealand investment after two big approvals were granted.

Middle Earth tourism up
A successful Middle- earth marketing campaign appears to be driving a resurgence in Western visitors to New Zealand, according to a new report.

Tourism chiefs hope for $41b revenue +video
A decade ago tourism revenue was growing at around 6 per cent a year. Average spending per visitor was close to $3000 and international tourism topped dairy as our top export earner.

Shark tourism gets tougher regulation
Great white shark tourism operators will be need to have a permit in the same way as for whale, dolphin and seal watching, the Government has announced.

Big spenders love it here
They have superyachts, choppers and personal staff at their disposal - and New Zealand tops their list as a holiday destination. Ultra-wealthy travellers.

Fran O'Sullivan: Gorilla war on Qantas' competitors
The reason the Australian national airline is in such a deep funk comes down to the failure of its own business strategy and tactical manoeuvring, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

China Southern Dreamliner arrives in Christchurch
Footage of the arrival of the first direct flight from Guangzhou into the South Island this week. 228 Chinese visitors were flown here to celebrate Chinese New Year and marked the first time a Dreamliner has flown commercially to Christchurch, highlighting the increasing numbers of Chinese visitors choosing the South Island over the north.

Kiwi faces front Oz tourism campaign
Well-known NZ actors Craig Hall and Sara Wiseman have been recruited by Tourism Western Australia in a domestic marketing campaign to promote the region to the rest of the country.

Chinese travel regulations trim tourist numbers
New Chinese regulations have prompted a drop-off in tourists coming to NZ, though the local industry says visitors will get a better experience.

Tourist arrivals hit record
Tourists are arriving in record numbers but the high New Zealand dollar is crimping spending.

Tree-hit tourists offered $1400 for car
A Netherlands-based travel agent has done what Queenstown's council would not - offered $1400 to two tourists whose car was crushed by a tree in the town.

Car crushed? Um, want a free bungy?
Two German travellers whose car was written off after being crushed by a tree on council land aren't impressed by the offer of a free bungy in compensation.