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The tourism industry is welcoming its new minister’s plans to ensure that taxpayers and taxpayers don’t pay the bill left by international visitors.
Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Newly appointed Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash revealed to a sold out crowd at the Aotearoa Tourism Summit in Wellington today the four themes he intends to focus on.
They included focusing on sustainability rather than business as usual, more government-industry partnerships, and strengthening Brand New Zealand.
For tourism leaders, today’s summit was the first opportunity to catch up in person after a year-long disaster.
It was there that Tourism Minister Stuart Nash decided to reveal his vision of the industry.
“The question of who pays. New Zealanders should not be subsidizing international visitors to the extent that we have in the recent past. Some of the costs, such as the impact on infrastructure and the environment, are currently borne by taxpayers and taxpayers … when it’s not necessary, “Nash said.
The minister outlined a vision in which the industry is moving away from freedom campers, saying that the richest tourists should be the target when the borders are reopened.
As for when that could happen, the minister didn’t have the magic date the industry was waiting for. Instead, he said the borders would remain closed until it was safe to open them, despite the loss of revenue.
“It’s not just industry that is looking at a $ 10 billion hole, it’s actually the entire economy that is looking at a $ 10 billion hole,” Nash said.
“There is a level of resistance in the New Zealand economy that I don’t think the Treasury predicted or I don’t think we all believed existed before Covid. It’s still there. There are a number of businesses that have collapsed, we know. But it’s just a matter of making sure we do our best in terms of local buying, supporting local businesses. “
Tourism Futures Task Force Co-Chair Steve Chadwick began his speech by congratulating the industry and its new minister.
“What a bunny of energy you have as a minister and I think it will be wonderful for all of us, and I am pleased that this is his first speech today and I think it put a bit of poa on the floor for all of us.”
Gillian Millar, Accor Hotels senior vice president of operations for New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia, was pleased that Nash seemed willing to engage with the industry and listen.
“If you said a year ago that today we would all be sitting in a pandemic situation with closed borders and the global nature of this situation, none of us would have imagined it.
“Look, we’re all coping with it. I hate the word pivot, but we’re all seeing some green shoots here and there. Some regions are seeing a better recovery than others. What we need to do, however, is work to rebuild our industry and find out what the new industry is like, “Millar said.
That meant one voice for the government and working together.
“I really want to make sure that we have business representation. I think the value of the tourism industry has really been underestimated from all the benefits it brings to communities and I hope we can align ourselves with that story that is being told in the future.”
Auckland University of Technology Senior Lecturer Dr Keri-Anne Wikitera researches Maori tourism and was eager to hear Nash’s vision for the industry.
“Very generic but inspiring and thoughtful.”
She was disappointed to hear that Maori tourism was not featured in Stuart Nash’s speech beyond an in te reo introduction.
“A missing link or the pou of Maori tourism, isn’t it? We have frameworks like Tiaki’s promise that the support of TIA, the support of New Zealand Tourism.
“It is relevant because Maori culture and Maori knowledge frameworks and Maori principles are involved in this summit and the industry and yet there is a real lack of presence.”
Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa Marketing Manager Shane Adcock was interested in more discussions about who pays the bill for the infrastructure used by foreign visitors.
“I come from Hanmer Springs, a very small community that has a very small taxpayer base but has a lot of visitors. So there are real tensions in the infrastructure and that sort of thing and it’s something the local government should have. to bear either taxpayers or central government.
“I think there are some really good discussions, so I am not saying that potentially we all agree, I think that the industry and the New Zealand community in general, it is certainly a discussion that needs to be done.”
His speech was a breath of fresh air for Wilderness Motorhomes co-founder John Managh.
“I think it’s really eye-opening. I’m excited that he has a lot of passion. It’s great to have a tourism minister who really believes in what we are doing as an industry and has great ideas about where we can take the industry.” Managh said.
Photo: Supplied / TIA
Aotearoa Tourism Industry Executive Director Chris Roberts said the minister’s vision for the sector was a promising start.
“The only note of caution was that the minister did mention the pressures that are on some communities, who were there before the Covid to manage the impact of tourism. But we must be careful not to demonize international visitors, especially since we want to give the welcome to return them to our shores when the time comes. “
