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Tourism Bay of Plenty hosted Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey earlier this month, as more than 30 stakeholders gathered to listen to the initiatives the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is working on in both sectors.
These initiatives include a focus on off-peak visitation, workforce sustainability, data and insights, and proposals to reset the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan says the Minister was in the region for his work in another portfolio so he was pleased to seize the opportunity to meet together.
“Given that most of Minister Doocey’s schedule for his time in Tauranga was initially focused on his mental health portfolio, we saw the slightly more casual lunchtime slot as an ideal opportunity for some of our key stakeholders to engage with the Minister and to outline what’s currently happening in our local tourism and hospitality sectors.
“We were delighted when the Minister’s office accepted this invitation. It was the first time we’d had the honour of hosting Honourable Matt Doocey in our region since his appointment, at the end of last year, as the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality.”
Attendees were invited to deliver a one-minute presentation on how they and their organisation contribute to the local tourism and hospitality sectors and Oscar gave an overview of the various tourism programmes and projects that are underway throughout the coastal Bay of Plenty.
“Minister Doocey addressed the attendees, highlighting his priorities for both sectors,” Oscar says.
“These include increasing off-peak international visitation, ensuring workforce sustainability, the provision of data and insights, and the proposed reset of the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
“This was followed by a Q&A session, which enabled attendees to discuss their concerns and aspirations for both sectors, like capability building, engaging with the workforce, and the importance of supporting smaller towns in the regions.”
Oscar says Tourism Bay of Plenty would like to see the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality put his energy into strengthening both industries and returning tourism to its top spot.
“Enabling the industry to get back to its rightful place as the country’s number one export earner must be a key focus. That means the Minister needs to strongly advocate for settings that the Government can influence, such as quality data and insights, realistic cruise sector regulations, and enabling a nationwide funding solution for sustained tourism investment across the country and in the regions.”
Oscar says the Minister was “a great speaker and seems very capable”.
“He was genuinely interested in what was presented at this hui and enjoyed the opportunity to engage with some of our key stakeholders.
“It was reassuring to know that our sector is in good hands and we’re certainly looking forward to further engagement opportunities with the Minister and his team.”
Attendees on the day included representatives from Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Whakatāne District Council, Hospitality New Zealand, Priority One, Tauranga Business Chamber, Bay Venues, Downtown Tauranga, Mount Business Association, New Zealand Māori Tourism, Tauranga Art Gallery, Trinity Wharf Tauranga, Tasman Holiday Parks, Tourism Bay of Plenty, Waimarino Kayak Tours, Tāpoi Travel, Rake Healing, and Fife Lane Kitchen & Bar, as well as local MPs Sam Uffindell and Tom Rutherford.
