AA strengthens tourism front row

28 November 2014

AA strengthens tourism front row

The AA has boosted its tourism credentials with the appointment of an industry leader to a new role at the organisation’s top table.

Current Tourism Industry Association chairman Grant Lilly has accepted a role as General Manager Travel and Tourism, a role created to strengthen the organisation’s involvement in the sector with a view to maximising its potential.

AA Club Operations General Manager Peter Moxon says Mr Lilly’s appointment is a strategic one for the organisation.

“Grant brings skills to the table that will enable us to further develop our role in the tourism sector within the framework of Tourism 2025, a set of key initiatives launched by the TIA early this year to promote growth in the industry.”

Mr Moxon says the AA has played a key role in the industry with a variety of activities for decades and continues to do so. The club publishes more than three million maps, accommodation and touring guides, provides accommodation discounts to more than 900,000 Members and has delivered more than $150 million in fuel discounts over the last three years with AA Smartfuel.

“Private cars are used for the majority of about 26 million domestic overnight trips every year,” he said.

“Touring around New Zealand is what many of us do, whether it’s a weekend trip or something a couple of weeks long and this is something the AA has supported and facilitated for more than a 110 years. We are the champion of Kiwi motorists and this cements our involvement in the sector.”

Mr Lilly will develop a business plan to enable the AA to assist with boosting the tourism sector’s economic growth while continuing to focus on its existing activity.

“Publishing is a core strength of the AA and hundreds of thousands of people rely on the maps and guides produced every year, but we’re aiming to do much more with a particular focus on domestic tourism.”

At more than $13.4 billion, the domestic tourism sector is larger than inbound – international visitors.

“The domestic sector is the bread and butter for the industry and more must be done to foster it including developing a cohesive plan to grow it, something the inbound sector does well.”

Mr Lilly says the lack of focus on domestic tourism is shown in the latest economic growth figures for the industry.

“The TIA was aiming for 6% growth over the last year for inbound tourism, but it grew 7.4%. Domestic tourism had a more modest growth target of 4% but only managed 3.2% growth in economic value.”

Mr Lilly will continue in his governance roles in a range of aviation and tourism organisations. He was recently re-elected as chairman of the TIA and also chairs the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa board. He was appointed to the board of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2011, is a director of Rainbows End Theme Park in Auckland and the Queenstown Airport Corporation. Mr Lilly is also a member of the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board.

Along with his governance experience, Mr Lilly has a strong background in airline management, both with Qantas and Air New Zealand throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with more than one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay more than $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.

www.aa.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media