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World video travel guide
News • New Zealand • 2011-03-23
Piste-positive 2011 ski forecast for New Zealand
New Zealand’s forthcoming ski season is shaping up to be another major success - with more flights, attractive deals and positive exchange rates adding impetus to the already strong Australian visitor market.
Last year was a record for the New Zealand ski industry with a 15% increase in snowboarders and skiers crossing the Tasman to enjoy New Zealand ski fields.
An investment in improved facilities, as well as an increase in the number of direct flights to Christchurch and Queenstown. and the favourable exchange rate, are making the coming ski season even more attractive to visitors.
Aussie confidence
James Coddington from NZ Ski Ltd, who has just returned from Australia, says there are a lot of positive stories in the media and throughout the tourism industry regarding confidence in the forthcoming New Zealand ski season.
"People are booking and there’s real excitement about the coming season. We’re getting repeat business - there’s not a negative comment from those who’ve come and experienced our skiing, and they want to bring their friends," says Coddington.
More improvements to snowmaking facilities, lodges, surface lifts, vehicles and operational improvements at major destinations like Queenstown, Methven and Wanaka, added extra appeal, he said.
Easy access
Winter in Queenstown had now taken over from summer in terms of tourism figures and July was now the busiest month of the year, Coddington said.
Last year 110,000 Australia snowboarders and skiers crossed the Tasman and overall 1.4 million visitors came to New Zealand for the 2010 season making it the second best on record, according to the Ski Areas Association NZ.
Extra direct flights to Christchurch - there are now 27 international flights per week - has made Methven an important destination because of the easy access. More flights, lower prices, greater choice of arrival and departure times will give skiers a lot more options, says Coddington.
There are also 30 direct international flights into Queenstown each week and that is set to rise in the next few months.
Unique NZ skiing
"The uniqueness of our skifields is the surety and security of snow and confidence in the length of the season, like last year when we had early snow and a really good start to the season. It stayed cold and we topped up the snow each night. So people have confidence in the length of our season."
Ten years ago the New Zealand ski season was typically 80 days long, but now it’s 135 days, he says.
Asked if the Christchurch earthquake would have any impact on visitor arrivals, Coddington said it seemed unlikely.
"Aussies are a resilient bunch - they’ve had floods, major storms, fires etc to cope with. I spoke to a group of Australians in Methven two days after the earthquake and asked them if they would be coming over to ski and they said ‘why wouldn’t we?’ Our ski season is not going to be greatly affected by this," he said.
