Tourism New Zealand says maligayang to the Philippines

New Zealand is becoming increasingly popular among Filipino travellers and visitor numbers are set to grow following the launch of several Tourism New Zealand ventures.

From December Filipino travellers will be able to travel to New Zealand directly non-stop with Philippine Airlines.

In a ceremony overseen by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, Tourism New Zealand and Philippine Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining activity that will be delivered to support the new route.

The event took place at a business breakfast in Makati, Philippines on 14 November.

For the year ending September 2017, more than 23,000 Filipinos visited New Zealand with holidaymakers staying an average of 14.9 days - the highest across Tourism New Zealand's South and South East Asia markets.

Tourism New Zealand has also entered new joint venture partnerships with three Manila-based travel agents to boost this figure further, and has extended its New Zealand Specialist Programme to the region.

"The Philippines is the newest addition to Tourism New Zealand's portfolio of markets, and it is demonstrating rapid growth (+103% over the past three years). The new non-stop flight marks a step-change for the market, making New Zealand more accessible than ever before. We are confident it will immediately accelerate visitor numbers in both directions, as well as having broader benefits for business and trade," says Tourism New Zealand's Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall.

"Most Filipino holidaymakers visit New Zealand during our shoulder seasons spring and autumn, timing in with their school holidays. For Filipino travellers, a New Zealand holiday offers landscapes and activities that they may not have a chance to enjoy at home, whether that is enjoying a vibrant display of autumn colours, hiking on a glacier, experiencing indigenous Maori culture, or even bungy jumping."

Tourism New Zealand's Memorandum of Understanding with Philippine Airlines will run for a period of three years, and will see the two organisations working together across a suite of activities and initiatives to grow the market including joint venture marketing campaigns and shared PR activity.