New Zealand’s Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced a new cross-agency government initiative called the Tourism Attraction Programme that aims to boost private investment into New Zealand’s tourism attractions.
According to a recent press release, Minister Davis launched the Programme, together with the unveiling of a prospectus for potential investors and the supporting New Zealand Visitor Activity Forecast data tool.
This will provide both international and domestic visitor forecasts for all regions and over 60 visitor activities.
Utilising data for New Zealand’s tourism
The Invest in New Zealand Tourism Prospectus was developed to attract investment and summarises key information and independent forecasts in relation to the tourism sector.
It provides a snapshot of international and domestic data, cut by activity and region, to provide a fact base for tourism investment decisions in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Visitor Activity Forecast data tool, on the one hand, was developed to alleviate information gaps and asymmetry in the sector.
Major domestic tourism operators and investors were asked to feedback on the output of the data analysis. The data was designed for public use and is now available to support industry development.
This Programme will help the Government make progress on the goal to enrich New Zealand through sustainable tourism growth.
This type of investment helps lift the value of the industry, provides premium visitor experiences, and supports regions to thrive.
Background of the initiative
Tourism is the largest export earner and plays a pivotal role in the economy and so it is important to have commitment in attracting high-quality investment in the sector.
The industry presents many opportunities for the right investors to make a significant impact.
The sector should be supported in order to keep developing exceptional attractions that meet the demands of visitors.
Furthermore, it feeds into the New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy for the following reasons:
- Helps strengthen the stewardship of the tourism system
- Supports the investment framework
- Has a specific focus on tourism attractions
Who are involved?
Minister Twyford explained that the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is leading the cross-agency programme in partnership with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Tourism New Zealand, and the Department of Conservation (DOC).
The objective is to professionalise the ability for tourism ventures to raise private capital and accelerate investment in commercial tourism projects across New Zealand.
NZTE is leading the investment arm of the New Zealand Government’s tourism strategy, with the aim of accelerating investment in commercial tourism attraction projects in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, MBIE is the lead government agency for tourism policy and is responsible for coordinating the government’s tourism efforts across the public sector.
