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Media release
Wednesday 10 April 2013
Review of China visitor market
The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) welcomes the release of a report on the China visitor market by the Prime Minister and Tourism
Minister John Key.
Co-ordinated by MBIE, the China Market Review was undertaken between June and November 2012 by an expert advisory group
comprised of tourism industry representatives and government agencies.
Lisa Barrett, General Manager of MBIE’s Tourism, Sectors, Regions and Cities group, says the intent is to ensure that
New Zealand understands, meets the demands of, and makes the most of opportunities presented by the China visitor
market.
“China is our most rapidly growing tourism market and it is imperative that we are offering Chinese visitors the
highest-quality experiences and meeting their expectations,” Ms Barrett says.
“China is one of our most important relationships in this region and we want to deepen our understanding of China and
its people.
“A review of this calibre, conducted by tourism industry experts alongside government, is essential as China is very
different from our traditional visitor markets. It has seen extraordinary growth, has a multitude of different market
segments and cultures.
“The report offers recommendations on how we can better attract and cater for Chinese visitors. For example, we know
that Chinese visitors value New Zealand for its wide open spaces and beautiful scenery. We also know that they often
book their travel in different ways to visitors from more traditional markets, and that more and more are opting to
travel independently.”
Ms Barrett says that a number of the report’s recommendations are currently underway, such as those relating to visas
and the implementation of the Premier Kiwi Partnership (PKP) programme.
“Work is already underway to promote an extended period for multiple entry visas, and over the Chinese New Year holiday
in February, we saw the first of the higher quality group tours in New Zealand under Tourism New Zealand’s PKP
programme.
“The tourism industry is also increasingly active in this area and many businesses are taking great steps forward to
improve New Zealand’s competitive positioning in this market.”
The expert advisory group also identified scope for other ‘game changer’ actions. Ideas will be tested and refined with
tourism industry members and stakeholders over coming months, and they will also be developed and finalised with the
input of the China Market Visitor Group, the establishment of which is one of the report’s recommendations.
Examples of the main recommendations that will be implemented in 2013 are to:
Establish a high-level industry/government China Visitor Market Group to drive future collaborative and strategic focus
on China and ensure that New Zealand is ‘on message’ in response to Chinese visitor preferences.
Investing in a three-year China visitor market information programme that will inform the development of demand-led
products.
Develop and deliver a service delivery toolkit to accelerate New Zealand businesses’ ability to attract, engage with
and better cater to the needs of the Chinese visitor market.
Implementation of industry partnerships between Immigration New Zealand and private sector interests that will provide
for streamlined visa facilitation.
ends