By Neena Bhandari

Auckland (New Zealand), 10.02.2008 (IANS): An increasing number of Indian tourists are visiting New Zealand, known as the land of the long white cloud. In 2006-2007, as many as 20,946 Indians spent an average of 13.8 days in New Zealand, showing a growth of 8.3 percent over the previous year.

Most visitors are choosing to stay in 4- or 5-star hotels, luxury lodges and boutique accommodation on an average spending NZ$3,425 (Rs.105,782), excluding airfare, per person per trip – higher than the average of NZ$3,115 (Rs.96,304) spent by tourists from other countries.

Bangalore-based Ajay Vij, a senior executive with Accenture, recently travelled with his wife Kavita and two kids to New Zealand. He says, “We as a family enjoy travelling to places where nature plays a huge role.

“New Zealand attracted us as it had so many elements within a single country and it didn’t disappoint. We were exposed to fiords, glaciers, volcanoes, geothermal activity, whales and wine regions.”

Kavita, a corporate training consultant, says: “The country is pure and beautiful, fragile is some parts and immensely strong in others. The friendly and content Kiwis love their country and openly share this with their visitors.”

Most Indians spend four days in Auckland and Rotorua in North Island – some even venture to drive north to the Bay of Islands – and seven days in South Island, touring Christchurch, Mount Cook, Queenstown and Milford Sound.

However, many young couples choose to spend 12-14 days only in South Island.

“As many as 65 percent of Indian travellers do only New Zealand whereas 40 percent take specialised tours combining New Zealand with Australia. April to June are most popular months for small family groups whereas honeymooners and young couples travel all through the year,” Tourism New Zealand India Manager Kiran Nambiar told IANS.

Favourable weather during the northern winter, fly and self-drive deals, ease with English and a competitive dollar are perhaps some reasons why New Zealand is such a hit with Indian families and honeymooners.

“An Indian honeymooning couple spends on an average two weeks touring across New Zealand, staying in 4-star accommodation and spending a few days in a luxury lodge. Families normally prefer apartments with cooking facilities,” says Nambiar.

New Zealand being so sparsely populated, one honeymooning couple from Rajasthan says, “It gives you space and a chance to spend quiet time together. It is serene, romantic and at the same time adventurous and exciting.”

Many young families and couples look at the varied leisure activities the country offers. There is much to choose from: soft adventure – jet boating, whale and dolphin watching, hot air balloon rides and high adrenalin sports like sky diving and bungee jumping.

It is little wonder that readers of Wanderlust, Britain’s leading travel magazine, have voted New Zealand as the top country to travel to. New Zealand received an impressive 96.86 percent satisfaction points followed closely by Madagascar and Namibia.

However, as Nambiar says, “2007 posed a challenge with fewer airline seats and higher airfares making the growth decline to 7.8 percent, but increase in flight capacity between India and Asian transit points will make it easier for Indian visitors to get to New Zealand. For 2008, we expect an increase of 10 to 15 percent in visitor arrivals from India.”

It is not just Indians travelling to New Zealand. In December 2007, there were 19 percent more trips by Kiwis to India compared to the previous year, according to Statistics New Zealand.

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