MEDIA RELEASE : FEBRUARY 2006

For Immediate Release

General Distribution

2nd February 2006

Award Winning Travel Web Site Earns Industry Pole Position

Online travel-related services such as those offered by top New Zealand travel site, www.tourism.net.nz, continue to enjoy a massive growth in popularity.

As e-commerce development continues to make it even easier and safer for travellers throughout the world to make enquiries or book their holidays through the Web, Internet travel companies continue to see an increase in direct online sales. According to Internet statisticians, Nielson//Netratings Netwatch, the number of regular Internet users accessing travel-related information online has increased by 50% over the past year.

New Zealand Tourism Online (NZTO) is a privately owned company specialising in the promotion of New Zealand as a destination to international and domestic travellers. In the last financial year, NZTO has seen a huge 90% increase in the number of visits to its Web site, www.tourism.net.nz.

The leading, independent, online competitive intelligence service, Hitwise, has recognised this achievement judging NZTO to be the most popular Web site in New Zealand for 2005 within the highly competitive 'Travel - Destinations and Accommodation' category. NZTO adds this latest award to its successes in New Zealand's Tourism Awards for 2004 and 2005 and a third consecutive year in the Deloitte Fast 50.

"The reach of the Internet is definitely increasing," says NZTO Director Mark Rocket, "and we only have to look at the expansion of the Chinese Internet market, where there are currently over 110 million Web users, to realise that this growth will continue for some time."

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