Tourism New Zealand's Success Story in Attracting Indian Visitors

Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand's tourism industry has maintained its steady growth in Indian visitors. According to Angela Blair, GM International, Tourism New Zealand, the growth trend is expected to continue. New Zealand offers a variety of travel experiences for families, couples, and adventure seekers from India. Simultaneously, the board works closely with Indian travel agents and tour operators to promote the country as a travel destination. The country has also implemented safety measures to ensure a safe and healthy travel experience for Indian tourists.

- Vartik Sethi

Tourism New Zealand saw steady growth in Indian visitors even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Angela Blair, GM International, Tourism New Zealand, the country experienced a strong growth trajectory over the past five pre-COVID years. From 2015 to 2019, the number of Indian visitors to New Zealand doubled. This growth has been consistent for the past two decades, as people have learned about the beauty of New Zealand through films, cricket, Bollywood movies, and the country's excellent educational offerings. Blair is optimistic that this trend will continue, in the years to come, "we doubled the visitors from India, it's a continuation in the past 20 years in India, the growth has just continued," she added.

The destination is committed to catering to the unique needs and preferences of Indian tourists. For example, in most cosmopolitan cities, many Indian restaurants offer different types of cuisine. There are also plenty of vegetarian options available for visitors outside the cities, as New Zealand has a large vegetarian population. From a language point of view, Tourism New Zealand largely caters to tourists to the urban English-speaking population from India. However, the industry adapts to the strong language needs of foreign markets such as Japan and China by offering tours with guides who speak those languages.