Aotearoa Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) CEO René de Monchy says inbound tourism must enrich New Zealand and the wellbeing of New Zealanders by contributing more than it takes.
Speaking at TRENZ23 in Christchurch, De Monchy said New Zealand tourism in today’s world “Must create jobs, restore nature, enhance our heritage and build our national reputation and make us proud.”
“We have a real opportunity to lead the way in not only reducing our carbon emissions but by being a world leader in our approach to tourism where it can remain a critical part of our economy and also enrich our people and visitors,” said De Monchy.
Before the pandemic, tourism was New Zealand’s top export, contributing NZ$17.2 billion (20 per cent of all exports) and 5 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP at NZ$40.9 billion while directly employing 8.4 per cent of the nation’s workforce, totalling 229,566 people.
As of March 2023, international visitor arrivals to New Zealand were back to 56 per cent of pre-COVID levels at 2.2 million for the year, with holidaymakers marginally overtaking friends and family (VFR) at 40 per cent of arrivals versus 39 per cent of all arrivals respectively for the first time since 2019.
Total Australian visitors for the year ending March 2023 were 1.1 million and leading the recovery at 51 per cent of all arrivals, with the U.S. coming in second at 224,686, making up 10 per cent of all arrivals. China made up 1.5 per cent of all arrivals in the same period.
Commenting on New Zealand’s recovery since international borders reopened last April, De Monchy said, “We’ve seen a good strong start and a strong first summer given we’ve only been open for a little over a year.”
As TNZ continues to move ahead in its recovery to attract more international arrivals, De Monchy spoke of the nation’s current tourism strategy aiming to target “Visitors who are more likely to positively contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand’s culture, nature, society and economy.”
“Our vision is by 2030, we want all visitors to New Zealand to be of a higher quality that leads to a more productive and regenerative Aotearoa and New Zealand. It is very important to note that high-quality visitors go well beyond high net worth and include all types of travellers.
“Those engaged with culture and nature, those that undertake a range of experiences at various times of the year. It’s that mix that makes up high-quality visitors beyond just the money they spend,” he said.
Seeking more meaningful travel
Sharing insights from recent TNZ research, De Monchy noted a growing segment of travellers looking for immersive and meaningful travel beyond sightseeing for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“Research shows that the desire for meaningful travel experiences that are more immersive and unique and allow others to create lasting memories is now a requirement, and it’s actually accelerated as a consumer trend.”
To meet that changing need, De Monchy said, “We’re confident that the New Zealand tourism industry can deliver, and we’re committed to playing our role in supporting it with the targeting of visitors who are also interested in the natural environment as well as society and culture.”
Citing the ongoing cost of living crisis around the world, fierce competition from other destinations and short-term economic issues as barriers to inbound arrivals, Mr De Monchy said, “We’re off to a strong start in international visitation, but growth is expected to plateau, and we will need to work hard as a collective to support visitation competing with other destinations to keep New Zealand top of mind on the global stage.”
TNZ’s ‘If You Seek’ campaign went live globally in August 2022 and has performed strongly to date, with De Monchy saying that of those that had seen the campaign, 92 per cent of active considerers said they were more likely to visit New Zealand as a result.
Asked about the role the Australian travel trade will play in New Zealand’s continued tourism recovery, De Monchy said, “Australia is obviously our only short-haul market and our largest market in terms of value to New Zealand, and when the border opened was the first market that we went live in with marketing activity.”
“We expect that as we come out of COVID, having experts to help you with your booking will be even more important. We are focused on ensuring that we find the right partners and information to make bookings to New Zealand easy.”
Read Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram’s TRENZ23 update here.
For more on the latest trade news, head to www.traveltrade.newzealand.com
