WELLINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand continues to see extended high season in May, registering steady rise in tourist arrivals with year-end international visitor growth of 10.6 percent compared to the previous 12 months, tourism authorities said here on Wednesday.
Holiday arrivals also grew 15.6 percent in the 12 months to May 2016, with all of Tourism New Zealand's prioritized top six markets showing holiday growth of between 9.1 percent from Australia to 31.4 percent from China.
Tourism New Zealand's Chief Executive Kevin Bowler sees the figures as a confirmation of a successful autumn tourism period.
"We have an enormous focus at Tourism New Zealand to broaden the peak arrivals period and supporting the tourism industry to maximize the resources and capacity it has that would otherwise be under-utilized out of peak."
Bowler said the growth is extremely positive for the industry and the wider economy, and that there is plenty of room for more visitors.
The scheduled new flights by American airlines are expected to bring more tourists from across the Pacific, he said.
"In the next fortnight, we will welcome both American Airlines and United Airlines on their inaugural flights from the West Coast of the U.S. to Auckland. We know that June and July arrivals figures from the U.S. will show yet more growth and more value to New Zealand."
