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\ndespite the pressure on the world economy and the disruption to air travel, Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson remained optimistic.
\nPhoto: 123rf.com\n<\/p>\n
The South Island benefited from a buoyant summer travel season with international visitor numbers soaring at Christchurch Airport.<\/p>\n
The airport said international visitor numbers over the November to March period rose 22 percent on the year before.<\/p>\n
It recorded 3.1 million passengers travelling through the airport, with 287,000 of them being overseas passengers.<\/p>\n
Based on government data, the airport said the international travellers contributed $861 million to the South Island economy.<\/p>\n
Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson said the growth levels were “exceptional”, and all of its key markets saw improvements.<\/p>\n
“A 22 percent increase in international visitors is a fantastic result, and when you look at the $861 million they’ve contributed to the South Island, that’s real money going into our restaurants, hotels, tourism operators, and the wider economy,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It shows just how important growing connectivity is. Our aeronautical development team, alongside our partners, has really delivered.”<\/p>\n
Australia was the biggest source of overseas visitors, rising 17 percent, followed by China, up 103 percent.<\/p>\n
However, just as the strong summer period ended, the global economy was plunged into uncertainty following the United States and Israel-led war against Iran.<\/p>\n
The war has resulted in soaring jet fuel prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for the world’s oil and gas exports.<\/p>\n
But despite the pressure on the world economy and the disruption to air travel, Watson remained optimistic.<\/p>\n
“It’s certainly a headwind for the [tourism] recovery, but we haven’t seen it translate into significant reductions at this point,” he said.<\/p>\n
Watson said airlines appeared to be trimming the schedules, rather than major cancellations, and while airfares had increased, they had not gone up markedly.<\/p>\n
“That’s not to say over time if it continues we won’t see more reductions and further increased costs.”<\/p>\n
He believed Christchurch was in relatively a strong position to withstand the pressure, and although fuel prices would be a barrier to recovery, he pointed to underlying demand in the city to help drive visitors.<\/p>\n
“With the revitalisation of the city, a strong events programme, a really strong university and work choices in Christchurch, we’ve got a lot of tailwinds.”<\/p>\n