19 August 2004
Media statement

Positive Growth Forecasts for New Zealand Tourism

''The tourism sector remains set for continued strong growth over the period to 2010,'' the Minister of Tourism, Mark Burton, said today.

Mr Burton was commenting on the release of the annual tourism forecasts of the Tourism Research Council New Zealand (TRCNZ).

The forecasts set out a very positive outlook for New Zealand tourism, with strong 5.8% per annum growth in international visitor arrivals to reach 3.1 million arrivals in 2010, and an even stronger 8.5% per annum growth of international tourism spending to reach $11.3 billion in 2010.

With a similar value of domestic tourism activity, the tourism sector is forecast to generate $23 billion of expenditure in 2010, up from $14.8 billion in 2003.

Mark Burton says that the forecasts have proved to be a very effective planning tool for the entire sector.

“Since I established the Tourism Research Council four years ago, the annual forecasts have built up an impressive track record of accuracy. These forecasts provide us with a reliable indication of the direction of the industry, and tell us that we need to be actively planning for growth.

“In the public sector, the TRCNZ forecasts are being integrated into a wide range of strategic planning processes, and this shows they are approaching their planning activities with high quality, accurate data which, I am sure, will lead to better outcomes.

“We need to plan ahead to match tourist demand with a supply of quality products and services so that we can do even better than the forecasts suggest. Working together to make the relationship between visitor numbers and visitor value work increasingly in our favour, we will be able to build an even stronger and more sustainable tourism industry.

“The forecasts set out a strong outlook for tourism, and illustrate that the tourism industry will continue to contribute strongly to the New Zealand economy,” Mr Burton said.

The full forecast report is available on www.trcnz.govt.nz

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