New Zealand airport aims to double number of Chinese tourists.
Another Chinese airline has spread its wings to New Zealand, adding more flights to an increasingly popular route.
And it's only going to get busier with the Government aiming for 1 million Chinese visitors a year.
There was a very Kiwi welcome for the first commercial flight to Auckland by China Eastern Airlines. The arrival last night made it the third airline offering daily flights between Auckland and mainland China.
It joins Air New Zealand, with flights to Shanghai, and China Southern Airlines, which flies to Guangzhou.
"It's the growth of the middle income bracket in China, so as people's income in China increases they look for places to go," says Auckland Airport's Norris Carter.
In 2000 more than 35,000 passengers arrived from China. So far this year more than 250,000 have visited. Auckland Airport wants that number to double by 2025.
The New Zealand Government is aiming higher than that. It is predicting 1 million annual visitors from China by 2019.
The airline says news coverage of the Chinese President's recent visit to our shores has added to New Zealand's already strong image in China.
"The very traditional beauty of New Zealand is very famous in China," says China Eastern Airlines' general manager for Oceania Kathy Zhang. "Also, the convenience of the recent addition of flights makes it an easy place to go."
China Eastern's service has begun as a four-month trial, but it hopes to make it permanent as the airline buys more A330 planes.
"We have 30 in our fleet, but will have an additional 50 in the next five years," says Ms Zhang.
The China Eastern service is forecast to pump an additional $54 million into the New Zealand economy in just four months.
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