Record year for Auckland tourism

Auckland welcomed more than two million international arrivals in a 12 month period for the first time ever in 2014.

The latest results from Statistics New Zealand show international arrivals to Auckland for the year ending December 2014 were 2,029,568, an increase of 5% on the previous year.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says this is an excellent milestone for Auckland, stating "this record-breaking result supports Auckland’s positioning as a great destination with unique attractions and experiences that have helped earn our city international recognition as a leading tourism destination."

The annual growth was largely attributed to a 14% increase in arrivals from China, an 11.6% increase from Germany, and a 10.4% increase from the US.

Auckland has also seen consistent accommodation occupancy rates over the past five years, with international guest nights rising 4.5% to just over three million.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown says these exceptional results come amid a summer of major events which is driving visitation to the region.

Mayor Brown added "we expect this summer to be the biggest on record for events in Auckland.

“We’re on track to reach one million events-related visitor nights since the launch of ATEED’s Major Events Strategy three years ago.

“This helps to demonstrate the continued success of both the Auckland Visitor Plan and the Auckland Major Events Strategy to grow the visitor economy.”

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