PM welcomes direct flights to Houston

Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key has welcomed Air New Zealand’s announcement that it will begin operating direct flights between Houston and New Zealand.

The new service will provide for a more direct route for the millions of US citizens living in the south and east of the country, and for New Zealanders heading in the opposite direction.

“We already get thousands of visitors a year from states such as Texas, Florida and New York and this new service should allow us to boost those numbers further,” says Mr Key.

“Providing greater links with these states, with relatively affluent populations, also aligns with New Zealand’s desire to attract more high-spending visitors to further boost our economy.”

The US is already New Zealand’s third-largest visitor market behind Australia and China, with 226,608 arrivals in the year to February – a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.

Spending by US arrivals has also grown 32 per cent over the same period, to $771 million.

“This Government remains committed to promoting New Zealand as a world-class tourist destination and we will continue working with partners such as Air New Zealand to ensure the industry continues to grow.”

The new service will begin in December.