Tour company purchase drives turnover to $30 million

Tuesday, 1 November 2016

New Zealand Fine Touring Group's acquisition of two other tour operations is expected to push its turnover past $30 million this year.

Group co-owner and founder Dave Kettle said the purchase of Discover New Zealand and Thrifty Tours New Zealand would allow them to capitalise on the tourism boom.

He estimated the new group would host about 15,000 visitors this year, increasing turn over by at least $6m, two years ahead of initial forecasts.

Wanaka-based New Zealand Fine Touring Group specialises in customised self drive road trips and coach tours.

Kettle said the addition of the two Auckland-based operations would increase the group's reach and influence across both the North and South Islands.

**READ MORE

* NZ to keep milking it from tourism with visitor spending tipped to grow 65 per cent

* Record international visitor spending passes $10 billion mark

* NZ to keep milking it from tourism with visitor spending tipped to grow 65 per cent

* Nearly 50,000 Chinese tourists arrive for February's Golden Week

* Tourism set to overtake dairy as NZ's top export

* Is tourism's success masking growing pains?

* Tourism boom may force Kiwis to book their holidays earlier or miss out

* Tourists to NZ spend an extra $3.8 billion, 7.5 per cent of work force now employed in tourism**

Despite the big increase in Chinese visitors, he said the company had no plans to target that market which required considerable Mandarin language skills and a presence in China.

'While everyone else is chasing it, they do take their eyes off the other markets.'

New Zealand Fine Touring Group would continue to focus on the North America, which was showing 'massive growth,' and the healthy UK and Australian markets. 

'We know them and we know we can add a lot of value to their experience.

'We're still less than 1 per cent of the total market coming into New Zealand, so there's still a lot of space to gain,' Kettle said.