"Dunedin will be rolling out the welcome mat this summer as thousands flock to the region for their holiday," it stated.
"More than 52,000 customers will visit the region over the summer holiday period, which will be a welcome boost for Dunedin’s tourism and accommodation providers," Air New Zealand regional affairs manager Jason Dawson said.
Air New Zealand’s summer holiday period is from December 15 to January 31.
In November, the company said, it was gearing up its resources to welcome 2.8million passengers between December 15 and January 31, following a surge in demand for the summer holiday period since Covid restrictions eased.
"With Kiwis heading off to their holiday hotspots and international travellers back in Aotearoa, regional centres will benefit from the busy summer ahead."
To support the growing demand of the year, until October Air New Zealand had hired more than 1950 operational employees, including about 1200 cabin crew, 250 pilots, 400 airport employees and 30 engineers.
"By February 2023, the airline will have hired an additional 700 people," the company said in an earlier press release.
According to MBIE, this year to October, international visitors have spent an estimated $30 million in electronic card transactions in the region as New Zealand’s borders reopened to the world.
"Communities in regional New Zealand are incredibly important to Air New Zealand and we recognise the role we play in connecting those communities to loved ones, business opportunities, economic growth and employment through tourism".
