Opportunity and Passion Drives New Tourism PE Fund

In a New Zealand first, Tourism Investment Partners launches a tourism specific private equity fund to invest in attractions, experiences, products and services. The fund is the coming together of Managing Partners Jason Hill and Jonathan Cameron who have extensive experience in tourism and investment and have identified an opportunity to invest in medium sized tourism attractions and experiences to help them maximise their growth potential.

“Tourism is the number one export sector in New Zealand worth $16.2b a year to the national economy. The government is forecasting this growth to continue reaching 5.1 million arrivals by 2024 and is investing heavily in infrastructure to manage this growth” says Hill. “Our focus will be on providing expansion capital, strategic advice and industry knowledge to medium sized tourism business who can leverage our resources and expertise to unleash their growth potential”.

“Except for a handful of listed businesses, investors have limited access to this $39 billion industry since the majority of New Zealand’s tourism business are privately owned. We have seen a lot of investment go into hotel property in recent times, but this is not our focus. Our focus is in investing in the wider tourism sector including the things people see and do” says Cameron. “Visitors are seeking authentic and memorable experiences and making decisions based on what they will learn, feel, and taste. We will hand pick companies that are in growth mode and already delivering an exceptional customer experience” adds Cameron.

The fund’s advisory board will be chaired by experienced tourism professional and board director Norm Thompson and includes experts in investment, fund management and tourism.

“We are long overdue an investment injection in the attraction and experience sector, and this has been acknowledged by Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in recent times.” says Thompson. “Tourism is piquing the interest of investors seeking access to the market, but there are few vehicles available to do so currently” he adds.

The Partners are passionate about tourism in New Zealand and their investment philosophy is built around caring for people, culture, and place.

The fund aims to raise up to $125 million dollars.

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