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In an exclusive with media at 2024’s BEIA conference, November 26, New Zealand’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Hon. Matt Doocey addressed some announcements, key topics and some of the issues the tourism industry is facing.
Announcing the Tourism Data Partnership Fund
The Tourism Data Partnership Fund is an initiative aimed at leveraging data to quantify the economic impact of the tourism sector. The fund, with an initial investment of $50,000 to $100,000, has awarded BEIA the full $100,000, matched by BEIA itself.
Matt explained: “We’re giving BEIA the full $100,000. That’s a match fund so they will put up $100,000 themselves and will be looking at reporting and using data insights to really show their story of the economic impacts of their sector, which is quite exciting. This will inform the sector.”
He added that the data initiative will also guide future funding strategies. “At the moment, the data is a bit ad hoc, but what we want to do is have an agreed dashboard for the sector, filling up the appropriate data sets, and making informed decisions as well.”
Mapping data needs for tourism and hospitality
The government has also established a Tourism Data Leadership Group, led by Steve Armitage, chief executive of Hospitality NZ, to address data gaps. “Out of the work they do, they’re going to look at what data sets are needed. I don’t think we have the right data sets established at the moment to service us for tourism and hospitality,” says Matt.
Cruise industry recovery and future outlook
Post-COVID demand has been a highlight for the cruise industry, though challenges remain.
“When you look at the cruise industry at the moment, it’s somewhat normalising, but we’ve made it very clear from the Milford Opportunities Project that cruise ships will continue going into Milford Sound because of the impact on other ports if that had been stopped,” says Matt.
Addressing environmental concerns and rising costs, he noted: “There has been some criticism from the cruise sector about costs, but when you look at Environmental Canterbury, for example, they are spending $3-4,000 a year of ratepayer money to put free buses on to get passengers from Lyttleton to Christchurch city. I think there is a fair balance.”
Regional Promotion Fund for tourism events
The Minister announced a $5 million Regional Promotion Fund to boost events across smaller New Zealand towns. “Not only do we want to increase the number of tourists coming into NZ, but we also want them to go to as many regions as possible. Tourism can provide good jobs in smaller regions, and the ability to host events is crucial,” he says.
Tackling mental health
At a mental health breakfast in Taranaki on September 3, 2024, the Minister discussed the high suicide rates in the construction sector and the need for grassroots well-being services. “When you think of those programs, farmers want to talk to farmers, and we need to train them up to provide better promotion as well.”
On government efforts, he shared: “Part of the work I’m doing with (Minister of Corrections, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery, and Minister of Police) Hon. Mark Mitchell, is taking a paper to Cabinet at the end of this year, looking at how we roll out moving from a police-led response to a multi-agency approach. A big part of that three-to-five year plan will be co-response teams, and we want to roll them out across the country.”
