Tourism Minister Stuart Nash spoke at the TRENZ Online Hui yesterday, saying New Zealand is on track to welcome back the world as of next month, and acknowledged that things are moving on from where the industry was in 2021.
“This time last year, our focus was on supporting our communities to get through the challenges ahead.
“The Government’s Tourism Communities: Support, Recovery and Reset Plan supported the communities that were the most dependant on international visitors.
“It aimed to assist the survival of those communities and promote the diversification of their economies.”
He said the plan gave affected communities a “fighting chance” and the ability to seize growth opportunities for their regions.
“At the time, it was a very uncertain environment. We didn’t know what reconnecting with the world would look like or when it would happen.
“Now, one year on, I stand here today with the air borders open to most of our key markets, with cruise travellers and the rest of the world to follow shortly.
“This is another step forward for New Zealand’s tourism recovery, and will allow us to fully reconnect to the world of international visitors in time for our traditional peak visitor season.”
Minister Nash also spoke on Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern’s current visit to the United States, saying she has made it a priority to “elevate the profile of this country in the minds of potential visitors as a part of our reconnecting strategy”.
“As we speak she is in the U.S, leading a tourism and trade delegation, following her successful tourism and trade mission to Japan and Singapore.
“With travellers planning their visits months in advance of the New Zealand summer, now is the right time to be visible in the US market letting Americans know we are open for business and travel.
“However, the world has changed drastically in the last two years.
“What worked before the pandemic is no longer a guaranteed recipe for success. It will take time before the number of visitors we saw in 2019 are back on our shores.
“But with uncertainty comes opportunity. The opportunity to shape the nature of our industry.
“The opportunity to live up to our potential as Brand New Zealand. And to rebuild our industry with sustainability, regeneration and innovation at its core.
“Now more than ever, we need to ensure tourism leads the way.”
Minster Nash addressed his priorities for the tourism sector, saying they have “remained the same” throughout the past two years.
He said his focus is still on transition to high-value tourism, but that doesn’t mean he wants to do away with freedom campers.
“A transition to high-value tourism has been one of my core messages.
“But I want to be clear. When I talk about high value, I mean those that give more than they take.
“Across the social, economic, cultural and environmental domains, we need visitors who give back to our communities and who embody our unique values.
“We want freedom campers that are responsible with their waste and share the values of our local communities.
“We want families to come on holiday and show kaitiakitanga, which represents care and respect for the land. The kind of respect for the land that kiwi families strive to pass on to their kids.
“We want people who go off the beaten track to seek out new experiences and who engage with MƒÅori culture and heritage.
“Most of all, we want visitors to get on the plane home knowing that the lifelong memories they just created contributed to our country and our communities.”
Minster Nash said this government has provided more support for the tourism industry in the past two years than ever before, and says he understands that most of the industry recognises the challenges that still remain.
“This unprecedented level of investment speaks to tourism’s position as a core sector in the economy, and one that contributes to New Zealand’s national identity.
“We have made big gains that improve the value and sustainability of tourism, with initiatives like destination management and improvements to digital capability.
“However, with our borders open again, we are shifting to a new phase of managing this pandemic. The level of support the Government has rolled out to date cannot continue.”
The Government has to be careful it doesn’t outspend its means in a post-COVID economy, he said, and therefore the industry recovery must be business-led.
He said the industry needs to be aware of consumers shifting to a more climate-conscious attitude, and our distance makes it more of a challenge to draw tourists from this perspective.
“Our own commitment to climate action also raises questions about how we reconcile our exports, including tourism, with the climate impact of getting goods and people to market.
“These issues are challenging for a tourism industry that is looking to get back on its feet after a once in a generation event.”
People have been dreaming of visiting us here in New Zealand, he said, and we need to ensure we deliver on our global brand proposition.
“We can achieve this by playing to our strengths. New Zealanders are famous for our innovation, creativity, and determination.
“We push the boundaries in everything that we do. New Zealand tourism is no exception. It’s now more important than ever to ensure that the industry delivers on our global Brand Promise.
“We must use the uniquely challenging circumstances we now find ourselves in, to spur the development of new ideas, new ways of doing business and to reconnect with our markets.
“We must find ways of maximising the many positive outcomes of tourism in New Zealand, while increasing the efficiency and resilience of our businesses, improving working conditions, and creating opportunity for regeneration in the environment that supports our industry.”
Minister Nash said the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery will “will bridge the short-term gap until the Industry Transformation Plan outcomes begin to bed in”.
“I know it’s easy to talk about innovation, and entirely different to follow through. That’s why I have announced the $54 million Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery.
“Innovation is critical to tourism’s future success.”
The programme is being designed to develop real, transformational, and practical solutions that can be applied across the tourism system to help create a sustainable, innovative and low carbon model, he said.
“It will also be based on a sustainable co-investment model to allow Government and industry to share the risk associated with the kind of transformational innovation that the industry needs to adopt if it is to be successful in a post-COVID context.”
More details on the programme will be released later this year.
He ended his address by acknowledging how challenging the past two years have been, but sharing his enthusiasm for the future.
“I’m deeply privileged to work beside you all. You know New Zealand.
“The experiences you sell and the stories you share to our visitors about the land and the people will drive the tourism sector’s recovery for New Zealand.
“It is this wisdom, knowledge and depth of experience that visitors truly remember.
“Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we focus on tourism’s ability to inspire and innovate. This is what will carry us through the challenges we are now facing.
“Together, we will continue to lay the groundwork to affect real, systemic change.”
