From December 2 until February 26 next year, China Southern Airlines will bring thousands of tourists to Dunedin with daily flights from Guangzhou to Christchurch.
At present the airline operates three flights a week from Guangzhou to Christchurch. In October it will increase to one flight every weekday, becoming one every day from December.
Christchurch Airport chief aeronautical and commercial officer Justin Watson said the service would bring about 40,000 visitors to the South.
More than half of the visitors would stay overnight in Dunedin, and 90% would stay overnight in Queenstown, previous data suggested.
Each passenger was expected to spend about $4000, he said.
The boost follows the airline's introduction of flights three times a week in December.
Enterprise Dunedin chief executive John Christie said the city gained about eight visitor nights for every flight from China that landed in Christchurch, compared with two nights if the flight arrived in Auckland.
The city should expect a ``big influx'' of Chinese visitors once the flights started and the organisation was encouraging tourism operators to prepare.
Dunedin Railways chief executive Murray Bond said the additional flights were ``very, very important for the future of tourism''.
``The whole key to the future of the market and increase spend was to bring flights into Christchurch.
``We just wish it was two flights a day, every day of the year, rather than one daily through the summer season, because just look around Dunedin, the predominant tourist in the winter and the fastest growing part of winter tourism is the Chinese market.''
The business had experienced ``massive growth'' in the number of Chinese visitors it attracted, from 2% of its customers three years ago to 10% now.
Monarch Wildlife Cruises owner Neil Harraway said the business now offered small package tours for the Chinese market with a Mandarin translator and information about how to act around wildlife for Chinese visitors.
The hospitality sector was also preparing for the increase in visitors, with many restaurants offering menus in Mandarin, Hospitality New Zealand Otago branch president Mark Scully said.
``We are finding that many of the Chinese visitors really want to experience the New Zealand taste, so lamb, Central Otago wine and fish are all popular.''
Mayor Dave Cull said Dunedin needed to be prepared to ``lift our game'' to host the visitors.
