Government makes another investment into tourism marketing
The Government is pumping another $13.5 million into international tourism marketing, with the expectation it brings an extra 72,000 visitors to New Zealand.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston are expected to talk to media about the announcement at a 3.30pm press conference at Auckland International Airport.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW BLOG
Abuse in State Care
Scott Palmer
On Abuse in State Care, Luxon said there was a lot more to do beyond what had been done but the Government was moving at tremendous pace.
"We are acting in good faith," he said, acknowledging not all survivors would agree with the Government's approach.
He said the churches were expected to do absolutely everything they could "from day one" to support survivors who were abused under their care.
Luxon on Gaza aid
Scott Palmer
On Gaza, Luxon says the impediment of aid into Gaza was unacceptable.
"What we are seeing there is utterly unacceptable," he said.
Israel should release politically neutral aid and allow for the free flow of aid into Gaza, he said.
"Israel needs to release that immediately."
Recent tourism campaign
Scott Palmer
On the recent "everyone must go" tourism campaign which received some critical responses, Luxon defended it, calling it "fantastic" and successful in getting Australians over here.
"It certainly lifted our Australian numbers."
He said people were talking about the campaign which was the very point.
Luxon hold standup
Scott Palmer
Luxon wants to increase the number of tourists that come to New Zealand – and propel the tourism industry back to the heights of 2019 before COVID-19 effectively closed the borders to international visitors.
"It is our job to make sure New Zealand is at the very top of someone's bucket list of places they want to visit," he said.
Government invests $13.5m in tourism marketing
Scott Palmer
The Government has announced an additional $13.5 million investment in international tourism marketing, with the aim of attracting 72,000 more visitors to New Zealand.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston will be holding a press conference at Auckland International Airport to discuss the announcement.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
The money is on top of other investments into marketing announced earlier this year. Those were focused on increasing visitors between now and early 2026, while today’s announcement is focused on arrivals in the years beyond that.
Upston said today’s funding – which comes from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) - will be targeted towards core markets like Australia, the United States and China over the coming years.
“We know how important marketing is to attract visitors, with around 14% of international holiday visitors directly influenced by Tourism NZ’s marketing activity,” she said.
It’s expected to deliver an extra 72,000 international visitors to NZ and generate about $300 million in spending, which the minister said was a “very strong return on investment”.
Upston said international visitor numbers continue to climb and this additional investment would help drive economic growth.
“Encouraging more visitors means more people staying in our hotels, eating in our cafés, spending in our shops and visiting our attractions.
“This creates jobs and drives economic growth. We want people to know New Zealand is open for business and we welcome visitors with open arms.”
The minister said this is the first investment from the Government’s yet-to-be-revealed Tourism Growth Roadmap.
She said it will set out a “series of Government initiatives and investments for the Government and industry to work together to double the value of tourism exports by 2034″.
This is in addition to the $13.5 million announced by Upston in April for marketing as well as the ‘Everyone Must Go’ campaign to get Australians to New Zealand.