Air NZ claims credit for jump in Japanese tourism

By NZPA

Friday 21st February 2003

Air New Zealand is claiming credit for a 16 percent rise in tourists from Japan last year.

For the year ended December, some 173,000 Japanese visited New Zealand, injecting $657 million into the economy.

Air NZ boosted its flight capacity between the two countries by 18 percent during 2002, and added 7 percent within months of 2001's September 11 attacks , while other carriers pulled out. Air NZ regional general manager in Japan Albert Lovell said the figures were a direct result of the airline's promotional campaign in, and commitment, to Japan.

"Together with Tourism New Zealand, the New Zealand Government and Japanese industry partners we invested heavily in a promotional campaign last year to turn around the decline in visitor numbers and we've seen the success of this stategy in the record numbers for 2002."

Meanwhile, Qantas Airways Ltd warned the Australian government and regulatory bodies not to make an alliance between itself and Air NZ too difficult.

Chief executive Geoff Dixon said he was confident the deal would go ahead but was concerned the government was giving away too much in terms of opening up airways to rivals like Singapore Airlines Ltd.

"I'm confident -- I think we have a very good case and I think Air New Zealand has a very good case, and I also think the conditions in the industry worldwide -- particularly at the moment -- indicate that consolidation in some form or another is necessary," he told ABC's business breakfast.

In November Qantas and Air NZ announced Qantas would take a 22.5 percent, $NZ550 million stake in the New Zealand carrier, and combine their services which operate to, from or within New Zealand.

Mr Dixon downplayed the importance to the Air NZ-Qantas deal of the future of rival United Airlines, which some fear will pull out of the trans-Pacific route as a result of bankruptcy procedings.

He also questioned why the federal government would be looking at an open skies agreement with Singapore.

"While I think Singapore Airlines is a great airline, why is the government wanting to do this?

"Qantas has a particularly good position I know on the Pacific, but we work very hard at it, we employ 35,000 Australians, we are investing billions of dollars in our company I think we deserve to have a certain amount of certainty on our route structure.

"What is being given away in Australia is not being given away in most other countries when it comes to airlines."

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