VisitBritain is looking to work with agents to get Kiwis to travel beyond the gateways as it reports ‘impressive travel growth from the New Zealand market’.
The tourism body has today launched a new trade campaign to showcase its year-round appeal and experiences on offer across Great Britain, ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in Jul.
New figures show around 309,000 Kiwis visited Britain in 2025 and collectively reached ‘a record-breaking spend again’, expected to total GBP430 million.
VisitBritain country manager ANZ Kristen Angus says Kiwis spend double the amount of the average visitor, and stay twice as long as the average tourist. “It’s going gangbusters; New Zealand is doing so well, even with the one-stop flights. They’re regional explorers and they’re getting much better at exploring out of peak sea son, with more New Zealanders now visiting late Mar-Oct/Nov.”
Angus says the majority of Kiwis are exploring Britain, with 75% of the nights spent outside London. “They really do bolster our regional economy so they’re very valuable to us.”
. . . Events
VisitBritain is focused on working with the trade to create reasons for Kiwis to book travel year-round.
This includes highlighting its bumper events calendar which includes high profile sporting events, such as the coming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, or next year’s Tour de France Grand Depart from Edinburgh, through to a plethora of regional events.
“…[sporting events] give visitors a reason to get off the sidelines and book, and then these visitors don’t just sit in the bleachers. They’re getting out, they’re exploring as well as going to the events,” says Angus.
Formula 1-based travel has also been increasing in demand following the Netflix series Drive to Survive. For Kiwis the addition of Liam Lawson to the grid, and the historic links with the McLaren team is adding to the appeal. In addition to the Silverstone Grand Prix, there’s motor racing events such as the sell-out Goodwood Festival of Speed.
. . . Screen
Screen tourism is driving a lot of travel into the UK’s region.
Angus says following the recent release of the Wuthering Heights movie, Airbnb reported around 500% jump in bookings for Yorkshire.
“They were calling Yorkshire the global centre of yearning,” quips Angus.
This is in addition to a host of other series such as Bridgerton, Outlander up in Scotland, and in the pipeline is a new Sense and Sensibility movie, a new Harry Potter film and the final episode of Peaky Blinders, to name a few.
. . . Upsell Pre & Post
As the UK’s popularity as an expedition cruise destination rises, Angus notes increased Kiwi demand for pre- or post-expedition and land touring stays. “There’s really opportunity for agents to upsell. People are booking land tours and cruises well in advance of their flights. So agents can create opportunities pre- and post- because there’s more flexibility on flights.”
Angus says high net worth travellers are looking for personalised experiences. “They want to get under the skin of the destination. They want to really engage with locals… and that’s where agents and their expertise comes in.”
. . . Resources
In a bid to help agents upskill and build itineraries VisitBritain has a range of on-line resources for agents. “Agent are crucial to selling the Great Britain story in New Zealand, so we will keep making sure we’re arming them with the latest and greatest.” See trade resources HERE.
