Christchurch i-SITE Defies Recession and Records Best Result in Seven Years

2/09/09

Canterbury’s bumper snow season and competitive rates on offer helped Christchurch’s central i-SITE Visitor Centre notch up its best travel sales figures in seven years.

Despite the recession, the Christchurch’s i-SITE Visitor Centre recorded its busiest July since 2002 - both in number of visitors making bookings and in revenue.  

Booking for attractions were up 40 per cent on July 2008, while outdoor activities, sightseeing and tour bookings were up 45% on the previous year.

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Christine Prince says the excellent results have been driven by the i-SITE ‘s strong delivery on service and its ability to offer exclusive deals packaged together at competitive rates.

“Our visitors know the i-SITE is the place to go for trusted advice, great deals and friendly help from our knowledgeable team.”

The numbers of winter visitors to the city were boosted by an excellent ski season, low domestic airfares and competitive travel deals. Record early snowfalls drew skiers from around New Zealand and Australia to the region’s 16 ski areas.

Australian visitors were Christchurch i-SITE’s number one market for the third month in a row, up 72% on July 2008. The popular Christchurch Arts Festival also attracted more visitors to the city in July.

“While it’s been fantastic having so many Australians take advantage of our great deals, we welcome local and domestic visitors to come in and see us too. We work with partners to develop specials and the team has great ideas on getting the most out of your break. We represent tourism operators around the country.

“Queenstown is often perceived as the top destination for people wanting a ski holiday but the message has finally got out there that while Queenstown is great, Christchurch has finally been discovered as a fantastic alternative,” says Christine Prince.

“If it’s about choice, then it’s certainly hard to compete with a region where 10 fields can be accessed so easily, within a two-hour drive of Christchurch city centre. The network of Canterbury club fields, paired with Mt Hutt, makes this region a world-class destination for keen snowboarders and skiers.
 
“And what puts us in a class of our own is that people don’t expect their winter ski holiday to have such variety – or be so affordable.”