Hospitality New Zealand welcoming but ‘disappointed’ by roadmap

Hospitality New Zealand has acknowledged the release of the Government’s Tourism Roadmap.

“We’re pleased to see the Government’s intent to support the growth of tourism and hospitality, enabling its role in doubling the value of tourism exports,” says Hospitality NZ chief executive Steve Armitage.

“We welcome the roadmap’s clear alignment with our Hospitality Summit report, particularly regarding its emphasis on growing the number of Kiwis in tourism and hospitality roles.  

“More generally we see strong alignment with the Going for Growth focuses on ‘developing talent’ and ‘competitive business settings’.  

“We are, however, disappointed to see that International Visitor Levy contributions to tourism and conservation projects will be capped in 2025/26, with additional funds being used to subsidise existing government spend in areas such as funding for Tourism New Zealand.  

“Our view is the IVL was conceived to generate funds for investment in tourism and conservation, over and above existing budget lines. 

“Particularly when there is a focus on growing tourism arrival numbers, to use IVL funds on what should be taxpayer funded does little to resolve the nationwide tourism funding gap the industry is facing.  

“Hospitality NZ looks forward to ongoing collaboration across the tourism and hospitality sectors to support the implementation of the roadmap.”