New Zealand ranks as a top tourist market for Western Australia

More New Zealanders are heading west, with latest figures revealing that Kiwis are among the top three nationalities visiting Western Australia.

Speaking at a tourism luncheon in Auckland, WA Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said December 2007 figures revealed that New Zealand was WA’s third largest market, behind the United Kingdom and Singapore.

“Visitors from New Zealand account for 7.9 per cent of all international visitors to WA, which correlates to nearly 52,000 travellers each year,” Ms McHale said.

“The number of visitors to WA from New Zealand has grown by seven per cent in the past 12 months, with more than half of their time spent in regional WA.

“These figures indicate just how important New Zealand is to our economy, which is why the focus of my visit to New Zealand is to reaffirm WA’s commitment to this market.

“This visit gives me the chance to spend some time with Australia’s closest neighbours and express my thanks for the industry’s efforts.”

The Minister said Tourism WA was currently in the process of appointing a new trade representative to New Zealand.

“We hope to announce a replacement for this important position shortly,” she said.

Ms McHale said a marketing campaign targeting New Zealanders commenced in March, promoting WA’s unique destinations and experiences.

“A range of advertising media have formed part of the campaign, including newspaper, magazine and online banner and search-engine advertising,” she said.

“In addition to this campaign, the State Government and Air New Zealand have undertaken a co-operative print and online advertising campaign that started in November last year and continued in April.”