This April AirAsia X launched its brand-new flights from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch, and the service is now bringing visitors from South East Asia directly into Christchurch four times a week.

The new AirAsia X route is expected to boost visitor numbers to the South Island by 30,000 in the first year alone and so far proves to be a success. After the announcement for the new route in December last year, 17,000 seats were sold in the first six hours.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says: “We are seeing increasing interest from throughout the Asian region for a holiday in New Zealand […]. It’s positive news for New Zealand, and particularly Canterbury and the rest of the South Island. […] We’ve worked closely with AirAsia X to ensure the new route is a massive success and that passengers’ experience of New Zealand is a very positive one.”

New Zealand is promoted strongly as a great destination, and the many experiences on offer in the South Island are showcased in Malaysia, a campaign which will go on for the next 2.5 years. With an exceptional variety of landscapes and activities on offer Canterbury and the whole of New Zealand remain hugely popular destinations for visitors from Asia who can now also travel directly from China’s Guangzhou to Auckland on China Southern Airlines.