Opportunity to improve on tourism forecasts

Opportunity to improve on tourism forecasts

Visitor arrivals and expenditure will increase if government and the tourism industry work together to grow the visitor economy, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) says.

Commenting on tourism forecasts released by the Ministry of Economic Development today, TIA Chief Executive Tim Cossar says strong positive action will help keep tourism among New Zealand’s top export industries.

TIA recently released the Tourism Future Statement 2011-2014 The Visitor Economy: Creating Wealth, which outlines tourism’s top five priorities for the incoming government after the 26 November General Election.

“A thriving tourism industry will be fundamental to the new government achieving its economic growth agenda. We are pleased to see the optimistic growth predictions for Chinese travellers but there are plenty of measures we can take to encourage even stronger growth from both this market and others,” Mr Cossar says.

The Tourism Future Statement 2011-2014 highlights a series of action points that will help achieve these goals.

“Making travel easier by removing barriers for people travelling to New Zealand will be central to growing visitor numbers. Immigration New Zealand has already done a lot to improve visa processing for visitors from China and we want to see this continue. Extending the SmartGate system to markets beyond Australia would also help,” Mr Cossar says.

“We will also continue to lobby against taxes imposed by foreign governments, like the UK’s Air Passenger Duty, which can be a strong disincentive against long-haul travel. TIA will continue to work closely with the New Zealand government on this issue.”

The forecasts demonstrate the importance of continued government investment in Tourism New Zealand’s international marketing efforts, to keep New Zealand top of mind for travellers in our major markets.

A top priority in the Tourism Future Statement 2011-14 is to stimulate domestic tourism. Today’s forecasts show that domestic travel will continue to provide the foundation for many tourism businesses to build on.

“Ideas like ‘Mondayising’ Waitangi Day and Anzac Day are worth exploring, to boost domestic travel on long weekends. Events are also central to encouraging Kiwis to travel,” Mr Cossar says.

“Communities around the country are currently benefiting from tourism generated by Rugby World Cup 2011 and we want to see those economic benefits continue, long after the tournament is over,” Mr Cossar says.

“The tourism industry wants to work in partnership with the government to achieve our collective goals. We’ll be working with the incoming government throughout the next three years to position tourism at the heart of New Zealand’s growth agenda.”

Go to www.tianz.org.nz/nztourismfuture to download a copy of the Tourism Future Statement 2011-2014 The Visitor Economy: Creating Wealth

ENDS

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