Media Release
12 September 2005

Tourism industry leaders meet in Wellington

160 people from a wide cross-section of the tourism industry are attending the Wellington Tourism Forum at the Duxton Hotel on Tuesday, September 12, 2005.

“Tourism in the Wellington Region is worth $1.2 billion per annum, and it is growing rapidly,” says Tim Cossar, Chief Executive Officer of Positively Wellington Tourism, which is delivering the forum. “Almost one in ten people within the region are employed in the industry, and on the average day 23,000 visitors are staying in the Wellington region.”

The Wellington Tourism Forum is an opportunity for people to learn more about the current tourism marketing and development activity in Wellington.

“We’re currently operating in a very challenging and competitive tourism environment,” says Tim Cossar. “Despite this, we are maintaining and growing our market share, and we are optimistic about the future.”

Speakers include Fiona Luhrs, Chief Executive Officer for the Tourism Industry Association, and Stuart Neels, President of the Inbound Tour Operators Council and Managing Director of ATS Pacific, as well as Positively Wellington Tourism staff.

“We’ve been told this is one of the best line-ups of speakers that have ever been organised for a Regional Tourism Forum,” says Tim Cossar. “We expect these industry leaders to provide a lot of insight into the current market.”

“It is great to see how many people want to participate in this forum,” says Tim Cossar. “Wellington and New Zealand tourism have a lot of opportunities and challenges ahead. This is all about looking for opportunities to grow and build economic development in Wellington. The Wellington Tourism Forum is one way we can bring people together to be more effective.”

ENDS

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