Air New Zealand readies for revival in Japanese tourism market

WELLINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's tourism industry received a boost Thursday when the national carrier announced it would double the number of charter flights to Japanese cities over the southern summer season.

Air New Zealand would raise the number of charter services from seven to 14, bringing an extra 3,200 Japanese travelers to New Zealand, said a statement from the airline.

The new services were additional to the scheduled regular flights from Tokyo and Osaka over the peak summer months, with six of the operating non-stop from Nagoya into Christchurch and the rest flying into Auckland.

Air New Zealand general manager Japan, Ed Overy, said the significant increase reflected the strong growth in demand from the Japan region.

"This is our fourth year of charter operations. We continue to be very encouraged by the appetite for destination New Zealand from regional Japan and are especially pleased to be offering charters from new destinations within Japan this year," Overy said in the statement.

"Christchurch is a hugely appealing destination for Japanese visitors and we anticipate these charter services will be a welcome boost to South Island tourism over summer."

The 14 charter services were on top of a 20-percent increase in capacity over the same time last year from Tokyo, with the airline operating six services a week from Tokyo in November and daily services from December along with three services a week from Osaka.

"As New Zealand's fifth-largest source of tourists, Japan continues to be a hugely important market for us and one we firmly believe offers New Zealand enormous opportunity," said Overy.

The charter program would begin on Dec. 19 and conclude on March 20 next year.

Air New Zealand's Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which accommodated 230 passengers, would operate on all the services.

According to the government's Tourism New Zealand agency, the number of visitors from Japan dropped by 14.6 percent to 67,072 by the end of June.

Tourism New Zealand's Market Overview for Japan said strong year-on-year growth in late 2010 and early 2011 saw arrival numbers from Japan grow by 11 percent prior to the Christchurch earthquake in February last year.

"Demand dipped sharply after the earthquake - during which a group of Japanese students lost their lives - while March's devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami also significantly stalled overseas travel from Japan," it said.

Sourced: Xinhuanet