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Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has doubled down on his criticism of motorhomes, saying that non-self-driving vans do not fit in with his plan to position New Zealand among the top three “aspirational” global tourist attractions.
Nash spoke in Rotorua on Thursday as part of a tour that has seen him meet with local government leaders and tourism industry players in both Rotorua and Queenstown.
When asked about his recent comments on Freedom Campers and rejected Hospitality New Zealand CEO Julie White that the benefits of backpackers to the country should not be discounted, Nash said it was a topic on the that he would not back down.
“First of all, I’m talking about high-value clients, not necessarily high-net-worth clients and there are many ways to travel around the country,” he said.
ROSA WOODS / Things
Newly installed Tourism Minister Stuart Nash used a visit to Rotorua to outline his vision for a reboot of the country’s tourism sector.
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“One thing I don’t like and won’t resist is these motorhomes that have sleeping compartments and don’t have a self-contained toilet … they don’t have anywhere to go to the bathroom so they go on the side of the road and that’s not acceptable, ”he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not part of our global brand and it’s not something that communities should have to accept, so this is the market segment I’m talking about.”
Nash also said that the current climate of no global tourists offers the industry an opportunity to “take a look at our global value proposition and see if we need to restore it.”
He said that in the past New Zealand’s infrastructure was becoming “creaky” and “sometimes we were not complying.”
“We now have the opportunity for New Zealand to be among the top three destinations globally when the borders are opened … a very ambitious destination, but we must be able to deliver on the promises we make,” he said.
Victoria Andrews
Travelers living in non-autonomous vehicles like this don’t fit Nash’s vision for New Zealand tourism.
“We underestimate what we have in this country and I think we do it at our own risk.”
Nash also said he believed the tourism market would change in the next four to five years as a result of the end of “bargain airfare that attracted people.”
He also said that the positive news about a Covid-19 vaccine was a source of hope.
“Every day we hear more and more about how close a vaccine is. I don’t know when that will happen, but when you get two major companies that have trials involving 43,000 people and 30,000 people, we go out of the lab for testing, and hopefully the vaccine will arrive sooner rather than later. “
Nash also said he envisions a more collaborative approach to the country’s tourism sector, citing the upcoming report from the Task Force on the Futures of Tourism.
He said the future would involve local government, the tourism sector and the iwi, and said the days of solutions imposed from Wellington were over.
“I am here to listen. I didn’t bring my mountain bike, I don’t go to hot pools, ”he said.
“We can never optimize our opportunities if it is not a true partnership.”
