TravTalk India Online Magazine
With a young population willing to travel and spend more, India is fast becoming a lucrative source market for New Zealand, especially cosmopolitan Auckland.
Kalpana Lohumi
Between July 2018 and June 2019, 60,000 Indians flew to New Zealand and 80,000 passengers flew from New Zealand to India, claims Adrian Littlewood, Chief Executive Officer, Auckland International Airport, adding that there has been a 15 per cent year-on-year growth of Indians traveling to New Zealand from 2015 to 2019. “We have even witnessed that the Indian traveller spends 15 days on an average in New Zealand, which is a great opportunity for us. India is a massive market and has huge potential. It has a young population that is willing to travel, that speaks English, and that loves the sport of cricket. Also, it is not hard to find Indian food in New Zealand, including vegan and vegetarian options,” he says.
As part of our long-term strategy, the team is working on bringing in a direct flight from India to New Zealand
The idea behind Littlewood’s visit was to understand the India market better and dis- cuss with key stakeholders the possibility of growth in tourism to New Zealand from India. He met with representatives of Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Civil Aviation, as well as key tour operators and airlines.
According to Littlewood, though China has shown the maximum change in the last few years, it is India’s growth that they are looking forward to. They are also working with carriers into India through Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Bangkok, and Singapore. “As part of our long-term strategy, the team is working on bringing in a direct flight from India to New Zealand. Premium Economy is our popular product on the long-haul route and we also have a range of options in terms of carrier pathways and alliances,” he shares.
