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Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says he will ban the hiring of non-autonomous vans for tourists as he urges focusing on attracting high-spending visitors.
Stuart Nash.
Photo: RNZ / DOM THOMAS
The incoming minister said yesterday at a tourism summit that the industry should sell itself as a destination for the wealthy when borders are reopened.
Nash said Morning report A demand was piling up from wealthy travelers, while backpackers and freedom campers would not be the target market.
“As for me, the days of renting a cheap truck that wasn’t self-driving are over,” Nash said.
“What we are seeing right now is a unique opportunity for a reestablishment.
“We do not have tourists here at the moment, so we have the opportunity to redefine our global value proposition and the market for those who add significant value to our country.
He wasn’t saying backpackers should stay away, but there was no point in directing the marketing effort towards them, he said.
“Every tourist who comes to New Zealand will pay for the New Zealand experience.”
Nash said he would be looking for “innovative ways” so that taxpayers and taxpayers do not pay the bill for the use of infrastructure by tourists.
He said Morning report it was seeking regulations to prevent international tourists from being able to hire vans that do not include bathrooms.
“We have all these vans on the road at the moment that are not autonomous, so the driver or passenger wants to go to the bathroom, we all know examples of this, they stop on the side of the road and shit in our waterways.
“So what I’m saying, for example, is, as a first cut, these vans that are rented … and we will look at the regulations to stop this, you will not be able to rent a van that is not autonomous.
“If you’re willing to pay for a caravan, you at least have the ability to dispose of your droppings in a way that meets our sustainability goals and, frankly, our brand.
“What I’m saying is that all of our marketing effort will go to high-net-worth individuals who are looking for a piece of paradise right now while locked in New York or London.”
The country will target the super rich “without shame,” he said.
“Do you think we want to become the destination for those freedom campers and backpackers who don’t spend a lot and leave high-net-worth individuals in other countries?”
Nash said he approved systems in other countries where visitors pay more than locals at tourist attractions, but said the government cannot determine how operators set their prices.
Go With Tourism online platform program director Matt Stenton said Morning report we should celebrate the backpackers who make New Zealand their home.
“I think we’ve always been really privileged by those who have come to New Zealand as backpackers and then started calling New Zealand home and doing a lot of those roles that we can’t convince Kiwis to do.”
That is due to negative perceptions about racing and tourism, he said.
New Zealand is doing very well in getting high value customers for the country, he said. “But I think we also do a great job of bringing ordinary people to New Zealand and that is why we are 100% pure and we should be celebrating that.”
Stenton says that before Covid by 2025 we needed between 35,000 and 40,000 workers and when the pandemic hit, 50,000 workers were displaced.
“Now we have that interesting side where a lot of operators that are starting to recover for the summer season are having a hard time finding people.”
There are opportunities for people, he said.
