During a state visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, New Zealand announced 2019 as the year of New Zealand-China Tourism, as well as a diverse range of initiatives that aim to improve tourism flows between the two countries.
VCG Photo
New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse and Customs Minister Nicky Wagner said three new initiatives would make it easier for Chinese visitors to come:
Extending the multiple-entry visa for Chinese visitors from three years to five years starting May 8;
Extending the use of SmartGate facilities to Chinese passport holders;
Enabling visa applicants to pay for online visa applications using the popular UnionPay debit and credit cards.
New Zealand also raised the number of flights that can be operated between the two countries immediately. The new agreement would allow 59 passenger flights between China and New Zealand per week, a 20 percent increase on the previous agreement.
VCG Photo
VCG Photo
China has quickly become the second largest tourism market for New Zealand, following Australia. Last year, New Zealand hosted 409,000 Chinese visitors, a 14.9 percent increase from the previous year, representing an increase of over 100 percent in the last five years.
The amount spent by Chinese visitors is forecast to grow from 1.67 billion US dollars in 2016 to 5.3 billion US dollars in 2022.
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