1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: So new stats around tourism that indicate we're still stuck 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: well below COVID arrival numbers asb's assessment to suggest there 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: are very few science things again to be improving anytime soon. 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Tourism New Zealand. Ce Rene de Monsche's back with us. 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: Morning to you morning, Mike. I know you like to 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: talk it up, and good on you for doing so. 7 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: But when you say three point two three million versus 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: three point nine, we are nowhere near where we need 9 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: to be, why not? 10 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 2: Look, it's fair to say absolutely, you know, tourism recovery 11 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,160 Speaker 2: and tourism attraction is a pretty competitive game, right Look, 12 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 2: an answer to your question, the biggest one that has 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 2: been slower as a market has been China. You know, 14 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 2: China itself has been quite late in lifting its own restrictions. 15 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 2: We've seen their economy be a bit slower. They have 16 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 2: been quite active and encouraging domestic spend. So that's probably 17 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 2: the main reason in terms of why we are behind. 18 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 2: They are where we were twenty nine team levels. But Mike, 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 2: I think it's also important to note, look, if we 20 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: look a year on year basis, actually we're growing quite 21 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: strongly seventeen percent holiday rivals twenty eight and actually that 22 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 2: what the data also shows us is that whilst we're 23 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 2: about eighty three percent of twenty nineteen levels, we're at 24 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 2: one hundred percent of the value when we look at 25 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 2: the year to June of this year. So that means, yes, 26 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 2: there are not the same volume of people good send 27 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: per persons up right. 28 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: Okay, so you're telling me we're getting the money back 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: and we always did, we just doing it with fewer people. 30 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,040 Speaker 1: If that's true, then that's fantastical. Let me ask you 31 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: about China though, because I get mixed reports. They do, yes, domestically, 32 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: but they're also a regional They're into Singapore and Indonesia 33 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,759 Speaker 1: and all of those sort of places. Korea. Is that true? 34 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: And if that's true, is that permanent? In other words, 35 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: they're never going to come back in the numbers they 36 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: used to be here. 37 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 2: No, we've seen that. You look, there's a bit of 38 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: short haul travel patterns that come out of China, right, 39 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 2: so they will pick you know, when their own restrictions lifted, 40 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: as expected, the predictable shorter haul markets were the first 41 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 2: to recover. So that includes their own domestic places like 42 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: Hong Kong, but also you know, going into Singapore and 43 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: then long haul has recovered kind of after that, but 44 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 2: certainly that's been a slower recovery than we had expected, 45 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 2: you know, and it's a part of the economy. It's 46 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 2: also a bit changing travel patterns. Having said that, I 47 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 2: think the outlook for the summer it is pretty strong 48 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: also out of China. So if you look at yes, 49 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,839 Speaker 2: we're still behind twenty nineteen levels, but in the last 50 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 2: few months we've seen an acceleration of that growth rate 51 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 2: in fact over the winter months, so we're back up 52 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 2: to about seventy five percent of pre COVID levels. 53 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: So about that transseasonal thing you're giving a crack, is 54 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: that working? 55 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 2: We've just started and we certainly had some really good 56 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 2: results out of this first winter where we promoted, particularly 57 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: in Australia and China, and we saw actually the July 58 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: August months both so Australia was up about sixteen percent 59 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 2: back at one hundred percent of twenty nineteen levels. China 60 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 2: was up four to fifty two percent back at about 61 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 2: three quarters of pre COVID level. Also we've seen some 62 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 2: good green shoots on that, but absolutely that's our focus 63 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: for the future. Actually, how do we grow the sector 64 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: by five billion dollars, but really importantly, seventy percent of 65 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: that we want to come between March and November because 66 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 2: that's a sort of stubborn time a year where it's 67 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 2: pretty tough for tourism operators. 68 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: Always, as always, I wish you were with that Rene 69 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: de Monte, who is with Tourism New Zealand. He is 70 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: the boss. 71 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 72 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 73 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.