International visitors spend $7.1 bln in New Zealand

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International visitor spending in New Zealand has reached a record high of 10.4 billion NZ dollars (7.1 billion US dollars) in the year to September 2017, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis said on Friday.

The latest International Visitor Survey results from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) showed expenditure increased 4 percent compared with the same period last year.

"International visitor spending is up, helped by a boost during the DHL New Zealand Lions Series," Davis said in a statement, adding that British visitors spent 181 million NZ dollars (124 million US dollars) in the third quarter of 2017, up 104 percent on the same quarter in 2016.

"We're also receiving more visitors from the United States, resulting in a 14-percent jump in spending over the year to 1.2 billion NZ dollars (822 million US dollars)," he said.

Kelvin Davis, New Zealand's Tourism Minister /VCG Photo

Opens Customs eGates to Chinese tourists

The New Zealand Customs officially opened e-Gates in New Zealand to Chinese passport holders, making their complete customs and immigration checks quicker and easier. China is the sixth country that the service opens to, after New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Britain and Canada.

The e-Gates, formerly known as the SmartGate, is a system to facilitate travellers to pass the Customs easier. The system uses biometrics to match the picture in e-passport with the picture it takes of the passport holder at the gate.

"It has been an absolute pleasure to be here to open this," New Zealand Minister of Customs Meka Whaitiri said during an official opening of the Customs e-Gates to Chinese e-passport holders on Friday.

Earlier this year, the New Zealand government announced to launch facilitation procedures for Chinese citizens' customs clearance in New Zealand airports and offer multi-entry visas valid for up to five years. One of the main aims of those measures is to attract more Chinese tourists to New Zealand.

New Zealand Minister of Customs Meka Whaitiri (L) and Qu Guangzhou, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy, cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the e-Gates system at Auckland International Airport in Auckland Nov. 17, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

"What a lovely sight to see your (the Chinese) flag and your (the Chinese) language up there (in the screen) to help facilitate the many Chinese visitors we want to welcome on our shores," Whaitiri told media.

Qu Guangzhou, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, said the number of Chinese tourists to New Zealand keeps growing in recent years. The fact that they can use eGates to facilitate their journey is much more convenient.

Chinese e-passport program started in 2013. Currently, about 70 percent of Chinese passport holders have e-passports, who will be able to use e-Gates when they come to New Zealand.

"By allowing eligible passengers to complete their Customs and Immigration checks quickly and easily, it also enables Customs officers to focus on travelers who may present a higher risk," said Stevenson.

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