Tourism industry setting course for the future

Tourism industry setting course for the future

16 August 2006

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 Industry Conference, TRENZ and the New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards.
Go to www.tianz.org.nz An innovative approach to the annual Tourism Industry Conference will set the scene for participants to set the course for the industry’s future.

The conference - being held at the Wellington Town Hall next week, 22-24 August – will focus on the mid-term update of the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2010.

This document sets the strategic direction of the $17.2 billion industry and is being extended out to 2015, and updated to take account of challenges facing the industry such as a shortage of skilled workers, increasing fuel costs, greater use of technology and the impact on how visitors buy travel, slowing growth in visitor numbers and the need for greater capital investment.
But the more than 350 participants in the conference will spend little time listening to speakers. Instead the conference will be highly interactive, with as many opportunities as possible for delegates to have their say on issues affecting the industry.

“This is a day for the industry to make a significant contribution to the process, which will set priorities and the best ways forward for the industry,” Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Fiona Luhrs said.

“This year conference will be about engaging, networking, creating energy and brain power in both small and large groups. Gone is the formal theatre set-up. Delegates will be in tables of ten to encourage informal discussion and collaboration.”

Change agents, BTLi - based in Wellington and Melbourne – who are known for their creative approach to learning and development, will help facilitate and focus discussion.

The conference will also include international market updates from Tourism New Zealand on Tuesday 22 August, and a day of ‘learning labs’ focusing on the latest developments in tourism-related tools and research on Thursday 24 August. Much of the information presented in these labs will be brand new, including:

- the latest international and domestic visitor forecasts, updated and extended to 2012
- the latest results from the Regional Visitor Monitor
- up-to-date international and domestic visitor statistics, being released by the Ministry of Tourism this week.

Winners of the prestigious Tourism Industry Awards 2006 will be announced at a gala celebration at the Queens Wharf Events Centre on Wednesday 23 August. Tickets are available until noon on Friday (18 August). Go to www.tourismawards.co.nz for more information.
Go to www.nztourismconference.co.nz for more conference details.

The Tourism Industry Conference is managed by TIA in partnership with the Inbound Tour Operators Council (ITOC), with support from Tourism New Zealand and the Ministry of Tourism. Event partners are Air New Zealand, Whale Watch Kaikoura, Peek Display Corporation, AA, Telecom and Visa International.

The Tourism Industry Awards are managed by TIA with support from Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand. Sponsors and partners in the event are Visa International, KEA Campers, Montana New Zealand, Whale Watch Kaikoura, Telecom, Westpac, Horwath, Budget Car and Truck Rental, Supershuttle, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Department of Conservation (DOC), Green Globe and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.

Key statistics about tourism:
- Tourism is the world's fastest growing industry
- New Zealand tourism arrivals have doubled in size since 1994 to 2.38 million
- 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

- Domestic tourism contributes $9.8 billion to the economy each year

- 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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