Finding a job in New Zealand’s tourism industry is likely to get easier over the next decade, as new research finds thousands of new positions are opening up.
A study conducted by Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) revealed that by 2025, as many as 36,000 additional full-time equivalent workers will need to be directly employed in NZ’s tourism sector.
Revealed at TRENZ 2015, which kicked off in Rotorua yesterday, there will be around 130,000 jobs in the next ten years – an increase from the current 94,100.
The growth comes in conjunction with new government tourism forecasts showing that visitor arrivals are expected to climb to 3.75 million by 2021, up from 2.9 million last year.
New research was revealed at TRENZ, which kicked off in Rotorua yesterday.
This drive in tourism and travel jobs will be a result of ongoing marketing to international markets, which includes Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand’s newest agreement to invest $20 million in joint promotions. Read on
TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts said the predicted growth in visitor numbers and visitor spend is great news for New Zealand and says it confirms that the industry is tracking well towards meeting its Tourism 2025 goals.
“But it also presents us with challenges – in particular, how we are going to service all our visitors and ensure they enjoy an outstanding visitor experience.”
Chris Roberts, TIA Chief Executive
The projections suggest that the workforce directly employed in tourism needs to expand by around 3600 FTE workers a year for the next decade.
In addition, there will need to be significant job growth in sectors that indirectly support tourism.
Places like Otago on the South Island will have more tourism jobs than other locations.
Some regions will also require more workers than others including Auckland and Otago, which are likely to attract a larger portion of international visitors.
Specifically, Auckland’s labour market could increase by 54 percent over the next ten years, while Otago is likely to see a 46 percent rise.
“And as our visitor mix continues to evolve, shifting towards increasing numbers of visitors from the Asian region and China in particular, we expect increased demands for language skills.”
Chris Roberts, TIA Chief Executive
“At the least, most employees will need a solid understanding of the cultures of these new visitors to New Zealand in order to deliver a premium visitor experience.”
The report found that not only will the labour market need to adjust to the volume increase in visitors, but an increase in high value visitors will bring demand for employees with the skills to deliver premium visitor experiences, the research finds.
It also explores which occupations are likely to experience the greatest demand, finding that many more accommodation managers and hospitality workers will be required. Some skilled niche occupations like adventure guides will also need to grow.