New Govt Must Have The Vision To Revitalise Tourism

The incoming Government must have the vision to take bold decisions to fix issues that have long prevented tourism from delivering maximum benefit to New Zealanders, Tourism Industry Aotearoa says.

“Our industry has suffered an enormously painful setback and the agony is far from over, but we can and will revive. It may never return to what it was just a few months ago – but we can rebuild something very special that we can all be proud of,” TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says.

TIA’s Tourism Election 2020 Action Plan identifies ‘Vision’ as one of the six categories where action will be required from the Government elected on 19 September.

“We have an opportunity to make bold changes to fix longstanding systemic issues that have compromised our desire to build a truly sustainable tourism future that will benefit New Zealand for the long-term,” Mr Roberts says.

“While the immediate outlook is uncertain, the tourism industry’s longer-term ambitions remain relevant. For the industry to be sustainable – environmentally, socially and economically – we must protect and enhance the environment on which tourism businesses depend, maintain support from local communities, deliver outstanding visitor experiences and honestly address longstanding issues like congestion, poor infrastructure, low wages and undesirable visitor behaviour.”

TIA will be calling on the new Government to turn words into action and adequately resource government agencies so they can deliver on the New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy. All parts of the government apparatus must understand their impact on tourism and their role in its revitalisation.

“At a political level, we need a Government that has the vision to support and champion the industry’s own efforts to lead the world in sustainable tourism.”

The foundations for this vision are already in place, Mr Roberts says.

TIA’s Tourism 2025 & Beyond, A Sustainable Growth Framework – Kaupapa Whakapakari Tāpoi, sets a vision of ‘growing a sustainable tourism industry that benefits New Zealanders’. It aligns with the Government Tourism Strategy and is supported by the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment – He Kupu Taurangi Kia Toitū ai te Tāpoitanga; and for visitors, both domestic and international, the Tiaki Promise.

“Like the industry, the Government wants tourism growth to be productive, sustainable and inclusive. We can only achieve that by steering the waka in the same direction.”

For more details, read Mr Roberts’ blog on this topic.

About the Tourism Election 2020 Action Plan

To support the revival and revitalisation of the tourism industry, the Tourism Election 2020 Action Plan identifies 37 specific actions required from the incoming Government, in six categories – Vision, Partnership, Regions, Natural Resources, Knowledge and People.

TIA is sending the Action Plan to all the major political parties, encouraging them to incorporate the action points into their tourism policies.

The association is also encouraging tourism operators around the country to get involved and highlight the importance of tourism to their local election candidates. They can use the Tourism Election 2020 Action Plan to lobby MPs and raise tourism issues at election meetings.

To read the Tourism Election 2020 Action Plan, go to https://tia.org.nz/advocacy/tia-projects/tia-election-2020-action-plan

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