“Christmas and the summer holidays are typically a time when more New Zealander’s travel domestically, but it’s fantastic to see that almost half of Kiwis have already locked in their holiday,” says René de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive.

“We are working hard to support industry recovery by encouraging Kiwis to do more on their summer holidays, to seek further and explore places around New Zealand more deeply.

“Our latest global 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, IF YOU SEEK(opens in new window), showcases a range of experiences on offer. We’re also encouraging kiwis to give the gift of travel this Christmas(opens in new window). Last year the activity yielded strong results, driving over 41,000 referrals to operators and an estimated $4 million in gift voucher sales.

According to the research, the main drivers for taking a domestic holiday are wanting to relax and explore more places. It also shows that New Zealanders value the ease of travel on a domestic holiday. 

“It’s great to see that Kiwi’s perceptions of domestic holidays have increased positively across many factors since June. New Zealanders increasingly see New Zealand as a safe place to travel around with a good variety of things to see and do,” he says.

Over two thirds of respondents (68%) also felt domestic holidays can be just as good as an overseas holiday – up from 60% in June.  

The research helps guide Tourism New Zealand’s activity and is shared with industry to help tourism businesses attract the domestic audience.

Read more about how New Zealander’s feel about the travel experience our country in the full Domestic Views Travel report here.