New events will take tourism issues direct to Govt

17 August 2009
Media Release

New events will take tourism issues direct to Govt

Tourism operators will identify the most pressing issues facing the industry at a series of 10 workshops being held throughout the country next month by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA).

Those issues and potential solutions will then be delivered directly to the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key at an invitation-only Tourism Leaders Symposium in Wellington in early October.

New events on the tourism industry calendar, the New Zealand Tourism Regional Leadership Series workshops and the inaugural New Zealand Tourism Leaders Symposium have been developed by TIA* to help businesses across the industry in these challenging times, says TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar.

“More than ever before, the tourism industry needs to work together and ensure that government receives clear and succinct messages from us. Some sectors of the industry are performing reasonably well, but others are finding the current environment very difficult, with visitors from many of our key international visitor markets well down on last year.”

Mr Cossar says as one of New Zealand’s largest foreign exchange earners and a major employer, tourism is a bedrock industry that will be critical in helping New Zealand pull out of the economic downturn. But he stresses it needs government support through initiatives like increased investment in international marketing – which has already shown great results in the Australian market.

“Good progress has been made on many of the issues raised by TIA in our Manifesto to the National-led Government,” says Mr Cossar, “but it is important the momentum continues if destination New Zealand is going to maintain its market share of international visitors during the global economic crisis, and capture a bigger share as markets recover.”

The ten regional workshops will also include practical content and ideas that tourism operators can implement immediately into their businesses to maximise their potential as they head into the 2009/10 summer season.

About the Regional Workshops
The New Zealand Tourism Regional Leadership Series is being held with the support of local Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) and venues around the country. All tourism businesses are encouraged to attend to ensure their voice is heard.

Workshop dates and locations

1 September Dunedin
2 September Queenstown
7 September Nelson
9 September West Coast (Hokitika)
11 September Christchurch/Canterbury (Christchurch)
14 September Hawke’s Bay (Napier)
16 September Wellington
21 September Wanganui
24 September Rotorua
TBC Auckland

To register
For more details and to register, go to www.tianz.org.nz

About the Tourism Leaders Symposium
The inaugural New Zealand Tourism Leaders Symposium is being held in Wellington on 6 October. About 200 government and industry leaders are expected to attend, including the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key. Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

*TIA has developed the Tourism Regional Leadership Series and Tourism Leaders Symposium on behalf of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is a strategic partner in this event which is sponsored by Air New Zealand.

Key Facts
• Tourism contributes close to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) for New Zealand

• Tourism directly and indirectly employs nearly one in ten New Zealanders (this includes 108,100 FTE directly and 73,100 FTE indirectly).

• Tourism in New Zealand is a $50 million per day industry. Tourism delivers $24 million in foreign exchange to the New Zealand economy each day of the year. Domestic tourism contributes another $26 million in economic activity every day.

• Total tourism expenditure reached $20.1 billion for the year ended March 2007. International visitor expenditure accounted for $8.8 billion or 18.3% of New Zealand’s foreign exchange earnings.

Visit www.tianz.org.nz for more information.

ENDS

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