The high-flying tourism industry has overtaken the dairy industry to become New Zealand's top export earner, with tourism insiders remaining cautiously optimistic the trend will continue.
Figures released by Statistics NZ show international tourists spent $9.5 billion while visiting New Zealand for the year ending March 2010.
Tourism exports contribute more than $560 million more than dairy exports - worth $8.9 billion over the same period, down from $9.9 billion the previous year.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossar said he was "pleasantly surprised" the industry had reclaimed its place as the country's top export earner, ahead of the booming dairy sector.
The result was encouraging for the industry, given the tough trading conditions as a result of the global recession, he said.
Those conditions included a downturn in key markets such as the United Kingdom and the United States, but the impact was cushioned by a growth in Australian visitors, Mr Cossar said.
However, New Zealand should not rely solely on Australian tourists, who were increasingly being enticed to other countries, he said.
Other issues facing the industry included the high dollar, domestic travel, and the performance of some regions.
The Rugby World Cup and increased flight capacity for 2011 were positives for the sector, Mr Cossar said.
"I am pretty confident, as an industry, we have all the ingredients for success; we aren't going to drop down the rankings."
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said while the region had a successful ski season, business conditions remained variable for operators.
"No-one is popping the champagne corks just yet."
Tourism export
- $9.5 billion of expenditure was attributable to international visitors.
- 182,400 people employed in tourism industry, 92,900 directly, and the rest in industries supporting tourism.
Source: Tourism Industry Association
