Grant Webster: Tourism Holdings Limited CEO on the increase in international visitors to the South Island, optimism for future summers

Tourism operators are optimistic the bumper summers are here to stay. 

Christchurch Airport saw international visitor numbers climb 22% on last year. 

That's about 287 thousand visitors between November and March, which fed $861 million into the South Island economy. 

Tourism Holdings Limited Chief Executive Grant Webster told Mike Hosking there's no reason we can't be just as optimistic about next summer. 

He says short-term, there's clearly disruption from war, but right now operators are feeling positive. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
South Island tourism off to the racis. This is new data.
International visitor numbers through christ Church up twenty two percent
on last year. It's an eight hundred and sixty one
million dollars spend by the visitors. Australia booming, China up
one hundred and three percent. Grant Webster, the boss of
course of Tourism Holdings Limited, back with this Grant morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning mate.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Is the South eating Auckland's lunch of Auckland is the
traditional entry point to the country. Are they eating the
lunch up north or not?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, at the moment, But that doesn't mean that Auckland's
not going to get some growth as well. But well
done to christ Church report. They've got a lot of
additional capacity and it's worked for the South Island.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's great exact and that feeds into the South Island.
Generally they all go straight to Queenstown.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
No, no, look at you can clearly see christ Church
visitors travel several regions across the South Island, obviously Queenstown
as well, but no, definitely right around. From a motorhome perspective,
we've had a boomer time aligned with that out of
christ church, and they definitely travel the whole South Island.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Have you seen read these? Have you seen the war
hit you? Diesel cost of suddenly expensive or not?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Look, it's about it's about way more than fuel, right,
So fuel prices might change behavior, but it doesn't stop
people traveling out right. So you travel a little bit
shorter distance, you stay in one place a little bit longer.
So it's about reducing stuff people, not removing travel at all.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
At this point, our amnemic dollar must help though.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, of course it does, of course it does. Look
as it stands today, there is no reason why we
shouldn't be just as optimistic about the twenty six twenty
seven summer as we were at the start of February.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Good good, good good China. What what's happened here? They
suddenly decided to jump on a plane or is that
connectivity or capacity or whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
That's across the board. So remember that visa changed as well,
where we're accepting Australia visas. And I think last time
I spoke to you, I said, watch those match numbers
for China that are going to be you are really impressive.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Did the Chinese jump in an RV without bringing race
into this. I mean, I see Americans in Australia into
Zabie drivers.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Hey, look, Europeans are really strong av drivers. We do
get some. It's it's more sort of adventure travel for
the Chinese customers at this point in time. But yeah,
we do get some of that, and they're fine. They're good,
customer base good.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
So you're as bullish as ever.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
What war ah, So short term there's clearly disruption, right
we all know that. And if the war goes on
then we're going to have a different situation. But right now,
looking out to summer, we stay positive.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Good stuff. Nice to talk to you, is almost Grant Webster,
who's the chief executive of Tourism Holdings. The capacity, by
the way, Cathe Pacific up twenty four percent. This isn't
the christ remember Cathe Pacific up twenty four percent. China
Southern thirty seven, Singapore plus five Jetstar forty nine, so
that might be material. And you add contents to that
at eighteen and you see an up seven, Fiji up too.

(02:51):
As far as the numbers from people are concerned, China
the one oh three I gave you, Japan's up thirty seven,
Canada's up thirty two, Hong Kong's up thirty A big
big numbers. Hong Kong's up twenty five, Singapore's U patent.
Even Australia, which was a booming market anyway, is up
seventeen percent, the UK fourteen, Germany nine, India three, in
the US two. So what do they say about stats?

(03:15):
Can't argue with them.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
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