Tourism growth under the spotlight

Tourism growth under the spotlight

With the visitor economy still enjoying double digit growth, industry leaders and stakeholders will discuss opportunities and challenges at the Tourism Summit Aotearoa in Wellington on 9 November.

This year’s Summit, organised by Tourism Industry Aotearoa, will focus on how to improve the New Zealand tourism industry’s competitive advantage. Early bird registrations for the one-day event are now open atwww.tourismsummit.co.nz

The programme features international experts, including Michelle Allen from

Google Australia who will look at how tourism businesses can stay ahead in a fast-changing online world.

Maud Olofsson, Chair of Swedish tourism organisation Visita, will share a Scandinavian perspective on managing visitor growth, while Kim Walker, Thailand-based CEO of Silver Group, a consultancy that helps businesses respond profitably to the ageing population, will share insights.

“The rapid growth of New Zealand tourism has created many opportunities but there are also real challenges for some communities. As an industry we are exploring ways to support these regions so they can continue to provide welcoming, high quality experiences for our visitors,” TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says.

Accordingly, the Summit will include updates on the strategic projects TIA is leading to support the Tourism 2025 goal of growing annual tourism revenue to $41 billion by 2025.

These include the National Tourism Infrastructure Assessment Project that aims to make sure New Zealand gets the right infrastructure in the right places to support tourism growth.

“We also plan to launch a new and innovative online tool to help New Zealand tourism operators and RTOs identify target domestic audiences – demographics, motivation for travel, when they want to visit, what else they are interested in doing and which type of accommodation they prefer,” Mr Roberts says.

“Finding ways to grow domestic tourism will help address regional dispersal and seasonality – two of our industry’s thorniest issues.”

The Summit aims to challenge attendees’ thinking and helps set the strategic direction for the tourism industry, he says.

For more information on Tourism Summit Aotearoa, go to www.tourismsummit.co.nz

Tourism Summit Aotearoa is organised by Tourism Industry Aotearoa with support from the Amora Hotel Wellington, Deloitte, the Department of Conservation, Lincoln University, the New Zealand School of Tourism, ServiceIQ, Wellington Airport and Westpac.

ends

© Scoop Media