Easier entry process for Tourism Industry Awards

Easier entry process for Tourism Industry Awards 2006

16 December 2005

The Tourism Industry Association represents 2000 businesses and organisations within the tourism industry.

Members include airlines, airport companies, and regional tourism organisations, rental car, coach and taxi companies, inbound tour operators, accommodation providers, tourism attractions, researchers, training organisations and tourism services providers.

Tourism is New Zealand’s largest export earner – accounting for 18.5% of this country’s export earnings.

The Tourism Industry Association organises the New Zealand Tourism Conference, TRENZ and the New Zealand Tourism Awards.
Go to www.tianz.org.nz Changes are afoot for the New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards in 2006!

A new phase is being introduced to the entry process which opens today.
Based on research and feedback from members, TIA has addressed a key issue – that the entry process was too hard and too time-consuming.

So a new Expression of Interest phase has been introduced. This will enable operators to lodge a preliminary entry without needing to invest time and resources in preparing a detailed business case.

Judges will select a short-list from the Expressions of Interest and those operators will be invited to proceed to the next stage of the entry process.

Awards manager Rachael Shadbolt says the new phase aims to encourage more operators to have a go at the Awards by streamlining the entry process.

Awards criteria and categories will remain largely unchanged in 2006.
The Awards are managed by TIA with significant support from sponsors Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand.

Rudi Fuhrmann of KEA Campers, the Supreme Award winner in 2004 and again in 2005, says entering the Tourism Industry Awards is well worth it.
“We don’t conduct our business to win awards but to get where we want to go in a competitive environment. But the awards recognise our achievements.”
The award success enhances and attracts business, he says, with both tourism industry buyers and individual visitors recognising the significance of the Tourism Industry Awards.

Elm Wildlife Tours Managing Director Brian Templeton agrees. The Dunedin-based business won the Leisure Activities category, the Green Globe 21 Environmental Award and the Westpac Small Tourism Operator Award in the Tourism Awards 2005.

It is independent recognition that Elm Wildlife Tours is among the best in the business, Brian says. The Awards success also offers valuable advertising and promotional opportunities.

“We find they do bring big credibility to the business and it opens a lot of doors we couldn’t otherwise afford.”

Expressions of Interest in the Tourism Industry Awards 2006 will be accepted until Friday 27 January 2006.

Key statistics about tourism:

- Tourism is the world's fastest growing industry
- New Zealand tourism arrivals have doubled in size since 1994
- Forecast annual growth is 4.7% on average for at least the next five years
- Tourism is New Zealand's single largest export sector and contributed $7.4 billion dollars to the economy in the year ended March 2004. That is 18.5% of exports
- Tourism directly and indirectly employs 10 percent of the work force. That is one in 10 jobs in New Zealand.
- Tourism represents 9.4% of gross domestic product and generates nearly $500 million in GST returns from international visitors each year. Tourism is the only export sector whose international clients pay GST.

ENDS

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