Hon Kelvin Davis
Minister of Tourism
Hon Eugenie Sage
Minister of Conservation
PĀNUI PĀPĀHO
MEDIA STATEMENT
16 May 2019
Ensuring New Zealand benefits from sustainable tourism growth
The New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy, which aims to deliver benefits to New Zealanders through
productive, sustainable and inclusive tourism growth, has been launched today by Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.
The new Strategy sets out a more deliberate and active role for government in tourism, to better manage the challenges
of growth and share the benefits of tourism more widely.
“Tourism is a vital part of New Zealand’s ongoing success, supporting national and regional economies, creating jobs and
allowing us to celebrate who we are. We must ensure that we’re set up to continue enjoying these benefits, while better
managing the challenges that growth can bring,” Kelvin Davis said.
“The Tourism Strategy sets out five key outcomes for tourism in New Zealand to ultimately improve New Zealanders’ lives
through tourism, and enrich our country through sustainable tourism growth.”
New Zealand’s natural environment, culture and historic heritage are an important focus for the Tourism Strategy.
“New Zealand’s natural and cultural heritage is at the core of our tourism industry and our national identity. We must
build a sustainable visitor industry that protects and cherishes this heritage for future generations,” Eugenie Sage
said.
“As visitor numbers rise we must ensure the tourism industry is part of the solution for our biggest conservation
challenges; including climate change, impact of pest species, and habitat loss and degradation.
“Tourism can be a champion for the restoration of the natural environment, and show other industries and sectors how it
can be done successfully.”
The Tourism Strategy includes a work programme and priorities to focus the new direction for tourism and make sure it is
a success. Tools such as the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, and the response to the Responsible
Camping Working Group will help to make this a reality.
The ongoing success of the Tourism Strategy and tourism overall, will rely on strong industry leadership.
“We know that we’ll have better tourism outcomes by working closely with the tourism and conservation sectors, and
building stronger partnerships with Māori tourism enterprise, iwi, hapū and tangata whenua. We look forward to working
together with the industry to achieve our goals,” Kelvin Davis said.
More information on the New Zealand- Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy can be found online at: www.mbie.govt.nz/tourism-strategy.
Notes to editors
Government’s goals for tourism:
The Tourism Strategy sets to enrich New Zealand through sustainable tourism growth. There is a focus on five key
outcomes to achieve this:
• Tourism supports thriving and sustainable regions
• Tourism sector productivity improves
• New Zealand delivers exceptional visitor experiences
• Tourism protects, restores and champions New Zealand’s natural environment, culture and historic heritage
• New Zealanders’ lives are improved by tourism.
Implementing the New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy:
Government has developed a work programme and actions to implement the Tourism Strategy. Across the five outcomes, with
four top actions prioritised that will deliver across multiple outcomes. The initial priorities for 2019/20 are:
• Coordination across the tourism system
• Long-term sustainable funding mechanisms
• Destination management and planning
• Better data and insight.
ends