Recently released statistics show the New Zealand ski industry is attracting record numbers with an impressive eight per cent rise in tourism so far this season.

 

NZ ski numbers surge
Official figures released by Statistics New Zealand show international visitor numbers have jumped by eight percent year-on-year. The country has received 145,800 visitors so far this season, up 3.7 per cent for the year to date.

A number of factors have contributed to the rise in numbers, including good weather and favourable snow conditions. The statistics suggest, unsurprisingly, that the majority of visitors from outside of New Zealand arrived from Australia.

The Chief Executive of Tourism New Zealand, Kevin Bowler, believes the figures suggest there is plenty of room for optimism in the New Zealand ski industry.

Positive outlook
He commented: "China, Japan and Korea are warming up and the outlook is slightly brighter, but we have yet to turn the corner to get back to the growth we were seeing a year ago across Asia and there remains some underlying weakness in the western markets."

While markets in the Northern Hemisphere continue to struggle, the signs for Australasian resorts seem far more encouraging.