voco Auckland City Centre has released a ‘voco Life’ package to mark its opening mid May. It includes overnight accommodation, upgrade on arrival with guaranteed views, complimentary breakfast for two, voco cocktail, and bespoke welcome treat on arrival. It is available for bookings and stays until 12 August 2022.

Stay Auckland Now is promoting offers on more than 10,000 room nights from nearly 60 participating accommodation providers across the region.

It is the latest instalment of the Auckland Is Calling domestic marketing campaign by economic and cultural agency Auckland Unlimited.

Newcastle Airport has its sights set on a resumption of services to Auckland this year, hopefully for an extended season and probably with a new carrier.

NTL-AKL services were successfully launched for the 2018-19 summer and then showed further growth in the 2019-20 summer before being disrupted by Covid last summer.

Stephen Crowe, executive manager corporate affairs with Newcastle Airport, says the early experience proved a trans Tasman service to and from the region is ‘more than sustainable’ and discussions with airlines are ongoing.

Singapore Airlines will resume scheduled passenger services to Auckland and Christchurch as part of its minimum connectivity network. 

The re-instatement of twice-weekly services to Auckland and once-weekly services to Christchurch from Tuesday 9 June, will mark the first scheduled passenger flights to the cities since SQ ceased operations in March following the closure of New Zealand and Singapore’s borders due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Qatar Airways intends to operate to 80 destinations by the end of June, including 33 in Asia Pacific – but conspicuous by its absence on a just released list is Auckland.

Destinations that do make the list include Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Though enquiries to the airline last night did not receive a definite answer, trade sources indicate it may be late October before QR returns to AKL.

New Zealand’s first Hotel Indigo is set to open in Auckland in 2021.

Sudima Hotels intends to build a new four and a half star, opposite the New Zealand International Convention Centre (which is being built now and is expected to attract around 33,000 delegates a year).