There is little doubt that 2023 will have its challenges. You can’t survive a global pandemic without them. But Tourism New Zealand’s Andrew Waddel is a glass-half-full kind of guy. To him, those challenges are opportunities.
Waddel joined Tourism New Zealand as general manager for Australia in 2018. So he had a couple of good years before the pandemic hit. But selling Aotearoa, New Zealand, when nobody could travel to it was a tough gig. Even for someone of his brand marketing pedigree.
But 2022 saw the re-opening of New Zealand’s borders, and Waddel says it’s been exciting to welcome back international visitors finally.
“The recovery of the travel industry in New Zealand is on an upward trajectory,” Waddel tells Karryon.
“Our regions and operators continue to work hard to help travellers escape the ordinary, discover more and experience Manaakitanga – a Māori expression of hospitality and reciprocity.”
Here be dragons
It’s a brave new world, and Waddel acknowledges that there are challenges ahead.
“A focus for the industry will remain the scaling up of flight capacity and seat availability across all sectors and airlines in 2023,” he says.
And doing this in the face of “demand and time pressures to get back to operating at optimal speed” is quite the challenge.
And then, of course, there are some pretty big global economic factors that Waddel says will likely impact discretionary spending.
“The opportunity for the sector is to inspire and continue to drive appeal of travel, so it remains a top consideration for consumers in the years to come.”
But right now, demand is high. And especially given the last couple of years, that’s a wonderful thing.
However, meeting that demand in a way that is sustainable economically, environmentally and socially is crucial.
“A challenge and opportunity lie between the balance of tourism and impact of tourism on destination’s local communities and environment,” Waddel says.
“In Aotearoa Tiaki – care for New Zealand was created through a collective desire to share a connection to the natural world and protect it for future generations, inspiring and helping visitors to travel safely and conscientiously.”
A way forward
The pandemic afforded the world a unique opportunity to rethink tourism. How we experience a place has changed, as has the way we sell it.
“The move towards regenerative tourism is a trend that is continuing momentum across New Zealand,” Waddel says.
“Tourism operators are redefining sustainable tourism and what this means in their day-to-day operations. In particular, for Māori tourism, it’s not just conservation of the land and sea – but the preservation of a culture.”
“We also see travellers looking to stay longer and connect with a destination on a more meaningful level – part of this is engaging with indigenous tourism and the breadth and depth of storytelling they offer. In Aotearoa, Māori tourism is central to our country’s identity and provides visitors with culturally enriching experiences.”
Next year will be a year of opportunity for many brands to “embrace innovation and new experiences, as travellers look to try something different”, Waddel tells Karryon.
“We know Aussies are seeking unique experiences and more personalised itineraries to encounter destinations in a more authentic way.”
All I want for Christmas
“As a proud Kiwi, I’m honoured to say New Zealand is at the top of many Australians’ travel lists,” says Waddell.
But Waddel doesn’t just want big numbers of visitors. He hopes that “manuhiri (visitors) have an enriching and meaningful travel experiences in Aotearoa”.
Also on his wish list is New Zealand “(or Australia)” winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 next year.
