Tourism industry welcomes convention centre approval

Tourism industry welcomes convention centre approval

The tourism industry is looking forward to seeing progress on the International Convention Centre now it has received resource consent approval.

The new international-scale convention centre will create substantial economic benefits for the whole country, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Chris Roberts says.

“We are pleased to see progress on this vital piece of infrastructure to accelerate the growth in tourism’s contribution to the New Zealand economy,” Mr Roberts says.

Business events were highlighted as a high-value growth area for tourism in the industry’s Tourism 2025 growth framework, which aims to almost double total tourism revenue to $41 billion over the next decade.

“Cities all over the world are investing in convention centres because they can see the potential, but New Zealand has been lagging behind. The International Convention Centre will allow us to target a valuable new sector of the convention market that we have not previously been able to accommodate,” Mr Roberts says.

With many international conventions taking place during New Zealand’s off-peak season, the International Convention Centre will help increase visitor numbers at times when there is currently spare capacity, supporting jobs and businesses in the tourism industry.

Being able to host medium to large scale events will see accommodation bookings spread among Auckland hotels and provide flow-on benefits to a range of business sectors, including retail, hospitality and transport.

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