Visitor growth from western markets has pushed up international visitor arrivals for New Zealand for the year ending August 2014 to 2.8 million, up 5.3 per cent year-on-year.
For the year ending August, arrivals out of the US were up 14.2 per cent, French arrivals were up 19.2 per cent, and German arrivals were up 21.6 per cent.
“As we approach the final instalment of The Hobbit Trilogy, our 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign activity is stepping up a gear,” said Tourism New Zealand general manager Corporate Affairs Deborah Gray. “With some exciting opportunities to leverage the event on the horizon, we expect to see this trend continue.”