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The Destinate Weekly Roundup w/c 14 September 2026

Writer: Michelle Caldwell
Michelle Caldwell
2 hours ago
5 min read

Welcome to The Destinate Weekly Roundup, a weekly look at the tourism sales, marketing and distribution developments I think are worth paying attention to.


There is plenty of tourism news every week, but not all of it changes what an operator should actually do. This series will focus on the developments that could influence demand, distribution, visitor behaviour and the way we sell New Zealand tourism, particularly for smaller and owner-operated businesses.

person sitting on a bench reading a newspaper

Here’s what has caught my attention this week.


New Zealand’s focus is shifting from visitor recovery to visitor value


Tourism New Zealand’s latest International Visitor Survey results show international tourism continuing to strengthen, with the organisation now focused on reaching 3.9 million international visitors and $14.4 billion in international visitor spend by June 2027.


That follows New Zealand reaching 3.7 million international arrivals in the year to June 2026, with holiday arrivals growing 15.3 percent and conference arrivals up 16.7 percent.


For operators, I think the important conversation now is less about whether tourism has “recovered” and more about which visitors we want, when we want them and how much value they bring to our regions.


That means looking beyond total customer numbers and paying more attention to yield, international revenue, shoulder-season demand and the channels generating the most valuable bookings.



Australian travellers remain a major opportunity, with another gateway opening next month


Air New Zealand will become the first international airline to operate from the new Western Sydney International Airport, with Auckland services commencing on 26 October.


Three return flights a week will connect Auckland with a Western Sydney catchment of more than 2.5 million people, giving New Zealand a second Sydney gateway alongside Kingsford Smith.


For North Island tourism businesses, this is worth watching.

Australia is already our largest international market, but many Australian visitors have been here before. The opportunity isn’t necessarily convincing them to visit New Zealand for the first time. It is giving them a reason to come back and discover something different.


Regional experiences, owner-hosted products, short breaks and experiences within easy reach of Auckland could all benefit from that thinking.



Travel advisors are still generating strong business


There is another useful signal coming from the UK, where Advantage Travel Partnership has reported member revenue and average booking values both 9 percent ahead year-on-year so far in 2026. Long-haul revenue is also up 9 percent, while touring revenue has grown 22 percent.


For all the discussion about AI changing travel planning, consumers clearly haven’t abandoned professional travel advice.


For New Zealand operators, particularly those targeting long-haul markets, that reinforces the value of trade relationships.


The important bit is making your product easy for an advisor to sell. Clear rates, commission, booking conditions, availability, strong imagery and a simple explanation of who the experience is perfect for will get you considerably further than a beautiful brochure that leaves the practical questions unanswered.



Competition for the travel trade is fierce


One thing that has struck me particularly strongly after recent sales activity in Australia is just how much competition there is for the attention of travel advisors.

New Zealand isn’t only competing with other New Zealand regions. We are competing with Australia, Asia, Europe, cruise lines, touring companies and destinations all over the world for a place in an advisor’s mind and eventually in their client’s itinerary.


Tourism Australia, for example, continues to run dedicated marketplace events across its major international markets, with its UK and Europe marketplace taking place in London in November.


That makes follow-up as important as the trade event itself.


Six months after meeting an agent, can they easily find your product when a relevant enquiry lands?


Keep your sales material simple, your email subject lines searchable and your product information current.


International business events represent more than the conference itself


Tourism New Zealand is targeting 110 international conference bids worth $253 million during the current financial year, its highest value target to date.


For activity operators, this shouldn’t just be viewed as an opportunity to put an entire conference group onto one experience.


There are several different opportunities around a business event: incentive programmes, executive groups, partner activities, pre and post touring and individual delegates extending their stay.


A tourism experience that wants to work in this market should make the basics easy to find: capacity, duration, transport requirements, group pricing, wet-weather arrangements and whether private departures are possible.



European trade planning for 2027 is already underway


Applications for New Zealand businesses wishing to participate in ITB Berlin 2027 close this Friday, 18 September.


The event takes place from 16 to 18 March next year and brings together thousands of tourism businesses and travel buyers from Germany and wider Europe. Tourism New Zealand will again operate a dedicated New Zealand stand.


ITB won’t be the right investment for every small operator, but the deadline is a useful reminder that international trade planning happens a long way ahead.


If Europe matters to your business in 2027, your thinking about rates, distribution partners, trade activity and budget should already be happening now.



And don’t forget the markets where travel trade remains absolutely critical


Tourism New Zealand’s recent Kiwi Link activity in India provides a striking example.

Visitor arrivals from India reached 83,000 in the year to May 2026, which is already 125 percent of 2019 levels. Most interestingly, 96 percent of Indian consumers considering a New Zealand holiday say they would prefer to book through a travel agent.


India won’t be the right market for every operator, but the broader lesson applies everywhere: distribution strategy should follow how the customer actually buys.


Direct bookings are wonderful. Travel trade can be equally valuable. OTAs can make sense for some products and be completely wrong for others.


There isn’t one perfect distribution model.


There is only the mix that delivers the right customers, at the right margin, at the right time of year.



What I’d be doing this week


If I were running a tourism business, my priorities from all of this would be fairly straightforward.


I’d check that my international trade information is completely up to date and genuinely easy to sell from.


I’d look at where my business could benefit from the continued growth in Australian demand, particularly if I have a product that appeals to repeat New Zealand visitors.


I’d start thinking about 2027 international sales activity now rather than waiting until next year.


And I’d take another look at business events, not only as a group market but as a source of high-value individual visitors before and after conferences.


Above all, I’d keep asking one question:


When someone is deciding what their client should experience in New Zealand, have I made it easy for them to choose me?


That will become increasingly important as travellers, travel advisors, wholesalers, OTAs and AI platforms all play a role in deciding which tourism products get discovered and recommended.


The Destinate Weekly Roundup is Destinate Tourism Marketing’s weekly take on the tourism sales, marketing and distribution developments worth knowing about, with a practical lens for New Zealand tourism businesses.

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