Speed up visas or lose Chinese tourists, Air NZ Asia manager says

By RNZ

An airline manager says New Zealand risks missing out on high-end Chinese tourists due to slow visa processing.

Visitor arrivals from China have been slow to recover since travel restrictions eased, with New Zealand benefiting from North American tourists instead.

The major tourism industry gathering, TRENZ, has shown local operators were eyeing a return of Chinese tourists.

However, in order to appeal to Chinese visitors, Air New Zealand’s general manager for Asia, Jonathan Zhang, said Immigration New Zealand’s visa processing times had to improve.

“The visa turnaround is far from ideal. So nowadays it probably takes more than three weeks or four weeks for the individual to get a visa.

“However, prior to Covid [it was] only three or four days.”

He said it was a “huge difference” and if New Zealand was looking at the big Chinese tourism market, in particular the premium market, the processing times needed to be addressed.

“If you don’t give them the visa, they travel elsewhere.”

The comments were made at a panel discussion about reconnecting with China at the New Zealand Tourism Forum at TRENZ.

Immigration New Zealand’s general manager Richard Owen said there has been strong demand since visitor visa applications opened at the end of July last year.

As of May 10, 2023, Immigration NZ had received 302,500 applications, with nearly 271,500 of those decided.

“The average processing time for a visitor visa is currently eight weekdays. We are unable to provide a further breakdown of our processing times based on nationality.”

“We are working hard to improve processing times and continue to closely monitor the performance of the visa system,” Owen said.