Hon Mark Burton
Minister of Tourism
19 February 2003 Media Statement

Launch of website an innovative step towards industry sustainability

Tourism Research Council New Zealand (TRCNZ) have just launched their new website. It offers, for the first time, the full range of tourism sector research data available on line, in one centralised location and in one format.

Minister of Tourism Mark Burton is welcoming the move as another key step towards building a sustainable tourism sector, praising both the wide range of information available on the site and its innovative features.

“This site is an exciting development for the sector as a whole. Thanks to the innovative software which underpins the site—developed by three innovative New Zealand companies and the University of Waikato—data is offered in a dynamic format, allowing tailored searches, which will allow the user to get the specific data they want.

“This means that businesses and other users can get directly to the particular information they need, when they need it, which in turn increases the quality of tourism-related decision-making processes.”

Work on the website was undertaken as a result of recommendations outlined in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2010, a document that was produced in 2001 by a group of key tourism industry stakeholders.

The Strategy recommended establishment of a comprehensive process to improve the structures that support the sector, especially in the area of research and development. This includes improvements to the quality and integration of the core dataset in order to facilitate effective sector analysis, as well as exploiting technology and other media to increase the accessibility of research to the entire sector.

Mark Burton stressed the importance of good research in unlocking the full potential of New Zealand’s tourism industry.

“By applying new knowledge, the industry will be able to make the right decisions—decisions that will ensure the well-being of our tourism sector in the long term.

“A well-informed tourism sector will be best placed to make these decisions, reach its full market potential, and make an ever more valuable contribution towards moving New Zealand back to the top half of the OECD.”

The website address is www.trcnz.govt.nz

ENDS

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