Hon Paula Bennett
Associate Minister of Tourism

18 August 2016
Government backs regional tourism growth

The Government is continuing to ensure regional New Zealand benefits from tourism growth with more funding for infrastructure and to help businesses get up and running, Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett says.

Changes to the Tourism Growth Partnership (TGP) will see half of the $8 million annual fund made available exclusively for projects in the regions.

“We know it’s often harder for regional businesses to attract investment to get started, and the sector was telling us that the existing structure was too strict on smaller regional projects,” Mrs Bennett says.

“This change gives those innovative New Zealanders in regions more opportunity to turn a great idea into a business reality and reap the benefits of growth in the sector with co-funding support from the Government,” Mrs Bennett says.
The TGP was established in 2013. To date the fund has awarded $20.7 million to 28 projects and attracted co-funding of $60.5 million.

“The remaining $4 million of TGP funding will continue to support innovative projects that increase productivity in the tourism sector,” Mrs Bennett says

Also being announced today, the Government’s $3 million annual Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund is now open for applications.

“This fund is an important step towards helping communities maximise their tourism growth potential by providing new or enhanced smaller infrastructure for visitors, such as rubbish bins, carparks, and restrooms,” Mrs Bennett says.

“This kind of infrastructure isn’t always the most exciting, but are the core facilities that some communities need a bit of support with to fully benefit from growing numbers of tourists and provide the level of service New Zealanders want to offer.”

Budget 2016 included $12 million over four years for the fund, which is part of a wider suite of initiatives that form the Government’s tourism strategy.

The tourism sector is experiencing exceptional growth, with visitor arrivals forecast to grow 5.4 per cent a year, reaching 4.5 million visitors in 2022 – up from 3.1 million in 2015.

“Part of the Government’s tourism strategy is to ensure all regions continue to benefit from this growth, and these announcements are another part of our wider work supporting the sector,” Mrs Bennett says.

More detailed information about the enhanced TGP fund will be available in early September when applications for the next funding round open.

Applications for the Regional Mid-sized Facilities Grant close on 15 September, with funding decisions expected to be made in mid-October.

To read a summary of the Government’s tourism strategy, visit: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/tourism/tourism-strategy

For more detailed information about applying for the Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund, visit: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/tourism/regional-mid-sized-tourism-facilities-grant-fund

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