New Zealand on the lookout for working holidaymakers

Working Holiday visa holders are helping to boost the New Zealand economy and are filling labour shortages in several industries. New statistics reveal that backpackers spend on average NZ$2,877 (£1,480) compared to NZ$2,360 (£1,215) of other tourists and spend over 25 days in the countryside, compared to 16 days for regular tourists. ‘Packpackers tend to trip around the country a lot more, so they help spread tourism business around the whole of New Zealand’, said Justin Watson, spokesperson for tourism New Zealand. ‘They also help to fill seasonal employment’.