Never thought of visiting the New Zealand? Well, you might be soon. In our Breakout Role series, we take a look at places that have seen huge increases in tourism in the last few years, and try to figure out what’s causing all the hype.
Kim Francis founded Black Sheep Touring Co. with her husband more than 20 years ago. In that time, she’s noticed ups and downs in New Zealand’s tourism market, many of which have been felt not just in the southeast Pacific, but also worldwide.
Since the company’s inception, post-9/11 travel scares, the SARS outbreak and the 2008 financial crisis all stand out as notably detrimental events for international travelers, but Black Sheep has been able to remain steadfast through the years. To Francis, it’s all part of what she refers to as riding “the wave of tourism,” a force which—despite periods of fluctuation—has led the country to a period of booming growth.
In the time since Francis’ company first started conducting tours, New Zealand has more than doubled its number of international visitors, with the number increasing from approximately 1.5 million in 1998 (the first year with available data) to 3.1 million in 2015. Additionally, things have been getting even better since then, as a record-high 3.45 million foreign visitors came to the island nation during the first 11 months of 2016 alone.
Lights
Photo: Tom Hall
As far as publicity goes, acting as the setting of six blockbuster-hit movies isn’t a bad way of getting your country on the map. This is what the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film franchises have done for New Zealand: with the country’s unreal landscapes staged as the fictional Middle Earth, the movies drew global attention to the country’s natural beauty.
“Certainly the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit—as our sales person would say—that’s the gift that keeps on giving,” Francis says.
Veronika Vermeulen, owner and director of Aroha Luxury Tours New Zealand, says the films played a powerful role in helping to change the demographic of the nation’s tourism market. Whereas the country previously attracted a large number of adventure tourists, the New Zealand began to seem like an appealing place for families whose children had become familiar with the country as well.
That being said, hobbits alone aren’t enough to create a full-fledged tourism hub—both the government and the tourism companies have been putting in major work when it comes to increasing international access to the somewhat isolated islands that make up the country. American travelers can now reach the country from, San Francisco, Los Angeles and even Houston, and China has been increasing its air access to Auckland International Airport, adding 81,000 seats per year between the two nations at the end of last year. Even Australia, despite being so relatively close in distance, had to be convinced a little bit.
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