QANTAS is facilitating greater travel to New Zealand through its one-stop flights out of Asia, a region that has seen strong growth in outbound to New Zealand.
Stephen Thompson , executive manager international sales, said: “With year-round daily connections to New Zealand and an ongoing close relationship with Tourism New Zealand, Qantas is always proud to promote New Zealand as a destination from Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.”
As part of its sustained efforts to promote New Zealand as a destination, Qantas offers regular support to the travel trade in the promotion of FIT and group travel, and hosts media fam trips.
According to David Craig, general manager Asia at Tourism New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia are two key markets in South-east Asia that are vastly different.
In the year up to June 2013, visitors from Singapore contributed a whopping NZ$107 million (US$91.6 million) to New Zealand’s economy, and self-drive holidays have gained traction over the years. From February 2013 to January 2014, a total of 43,056 Singaporeans visited New Zealand, representing robust 19.7 per cent growth year-on-year.
The Malaysian market is still dominated by group tours but self-drive holidays are gaining popularity. From February 2013 to January 2014, 29,536 Malaysians visited New Zealand, 4.1 per cent more than the same period a year ago.
Qantas runs daily flights from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore to Australia, and also four weekly flights from Jakarta and Manila to Australia.
In these markets, Qantas offers one-stop flights through three Australian gateways – Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to four cities in New Zealand, namely Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington.
Priced below S$1,000 (US$799), Qantas’ all-inclusive fares allow travellers to visit New Zealand and tag on an Australian stopover.
