Tourism industry applauds govt partnership plans

Media Release

21 April 2013

New Government investment in the tourism industry will help it seize the international opportunities available to further grow one of New Zealand’s biggest export sectors, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) says.

“We are particularly pleased that $28 million has been earmarked over four years to support the growth of tourism businesses. We know New Zealand has some of the most innovative tourism operators in the world and the new Tourism Growth Partnership announced by Prime Minister John Key today will help us develop more world-leading ideas and respond to new market opportunities,” TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says.

"To provide the best possible foundation for our international marketing, we need to ensure we have the strongest possible foundations on the ground."

TIA is leading the development of a National Tourism Plan to set targets and provide direction for the tourism industry through to 2025. The objective is to generate substantively higher growth with a focus on value, increased private sector investment, improved sector productivity and public sector support, all underpinning a sustainably superior visitor experience, Mr Snedden says.

TIA is also focusing on developing the information and research available to tourism operators to ensure they have access to relevant, accurate, timely and practical market intelligence. ”These are private sector initiatives but we look forward to working with the Government to progress these projects,” Mr Snedden says.

There will be widespread support throughout the industry for other details of the new Government investment in tourism announced today, Mr Snedden says.

More focus on attracting business events and high value visitors, new investment to attract visitors from both new and traditional markets, and improvements to visa application processes would all be welcomed by the industry.

“I’m confident that the industry will be able to repay this investment many times over with significant growth in the $9.6 billion that international visitors currently spend each year and the creation of many more jobs throughout the country,” Mr Snedden says. Mr Key announced details of the new funding this afternoon at TRENZ 2013, the tourism industry’s annual showcase, starting in Auckland today.

About TRENZ

TIA is organising and managing TRENZ 2013. It will bring together around 250 New Zealand tourism operators (Exhibitors) with 290 invited international travel and tourism Buyers plus international and domestic Media. The event directly helps to grow New Zealand’s tourism industry, worth $9.6 billion in foreign exchange annually. Hosted by ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development), TRENZ 2013 is being held on Auckland’s waterfront, 21- 24 April. TRENZ is supported by Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Qantas and other industry partners. Visit the TRENZ website www.trenz.co.nz

Key Facts •Tourism is one of New Zealand’s biggest export industries, earning $9.6 billion or 15.4% of New Zealand’s foreign exchange earnings (year ended March 2012) •Tourism directly and indirectly contributes almost 9% of gross domestic product (GDP) for New Zealand •Tourism directly and indirectly employs nearly one in ten New Zealanders (186,900 total) full-time equivalent jobs •Tourism in New Zealand is a $64 million per day industry. Tourism delivers $26 million in foreign exchange to the New Zealand economy each day of the year. Domestic tourism contributes another $38 million in economic activity every day. •Total tourism expenditure reached $23.4 billion for the year ended March 2012. Visit www.tianz.org.nz for more information.

© Scoop Media