New Zealand is a popular destination for tourists throughout the world, but none more than our distant cousins from ‘over the ditch’. The trans-tasman rivalry between Australia and New Zealand has risen from the competitive nature of each country, from rugby to cricket, politics to pavlova. The relationship is one of mutual respect for each other and the scenic nature of the countries. Traditionally, Australians have been a key market for the New Zealand tourism industry, with literally hundreds of thousands visiting each year. With the proliferation of cheap flights and the rising value of the Australia dollar, New Zealand represents not only one of the greatest places to experience, but offers great value for money as well. As a result, it is predicted that Australians will visit in increasing numbers in the coming year, driven by a powerful combination of affordable prices and pent-up demand.

Further interest in New Zealand has been ignited with the recognition by Lonely Planet that Wellington is the world’s fourth best city to visit, commenting that there are very few cooler city’s with a plethora of shopping, cafes and nightlife activities. With the strength of the Australian dollar increasing, with no visible signs of a reversing of this trend in the near future, travelling to and around New Zealand provides a real value for money option for Australian travellers. With growing trends towards value in consumer decision making, in near all industries, the promise of increasing visitor numbers to New Zealand is all but assured. Furthermore, more competitive rates within New Zealand in relation to accommodation, transport and activities as a result of an increasingly competitive marketplace, means that value is what travellers are going to get.

This is not limited only to the travel side of the equation. Duty-free stores in New Zealand have always represented some of the best value for money purchases that travellers can make prior, during and after their international adventure. Coupled with the growing value of the Australian dollar, this value has never been better. To ensure that you are not faced with excess duties upon your arrival home, it is important to understand the regulations concerning the duty free allowance in New Zealand. However, on the bright side, New Zealand has some of the most generous duty free allowances available worldwide. If you are unsure of the specific duty free allowances in respect to the range of goods that can be purchased in New Zealand, visit the website of a leading duty-free store in New Zealand, where you can find all the information relating to allowance levels.