Tourism may be built on scenery, storytelling and the odd scenic helicopter ride. Still, behind the scenes, it runs on electricity, hot water, heating, cooling and a fair amount of quietly humming machinery. For New Zealand’s tourism industry, still rebuilding, still adapting, energy costs are no longer a mere operating line item. They’ve become a strategic priority.
Now, tourism operators have been handed a new set of tools designed to cut both energy bills and carbon emissions, thanks to a fresh collaboration between Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
Their new online training programme, Energy Efficiency for Tourism: Reducing Costs and Carbon While Enhancing the Guest Experience, has just launched on Akiaki – Advancing Tourism, a learning hub created to help tourism businesses stay resilient and sustainable in a fast-changing landscape.
And if the sector’s appetite for sustainability is anything to go by, TIA believes the timing couldn’t be better.
Operators Want Tools That Deliver – and Quickly
Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram says the new course is a direct response to what operators themselves have been calling for.
“Our latest Tourism Sustainability Commitment survey showed that 98% of operators say sustainability is important to their business, and nearly half want online information, tools and resources to help accelerate their actions even further. This course delivers exactly that.”
Designed with industry practicality, rather than academic theory, front and centre, the course takes operators from the basics—understanding where their energy goes, to quick wins that can be implemented almost immediately. From there, it guides businesses into long-term planning and investment strategies that strengthen resilience without compromising the guest experience.
The course is part of the broader Akiaki programme, which spans 11 online modules covering topics such as waste reduction, understanding carbon emissions, embedding Māori values in business operations, and becoming an employer of choice. It’s a broad church of sustainability learning—one that industry operators have increasingly embraced.
EECA: Real Savings and Real Impact for Tourism
EECA Sector Partnerships Lead Jo Parag says the collaboration allows energy-efficiency guidance to be tailored specifically for tourism businesses, whether they run a boutique lodge, a fleet of shuttles or a café serving flat whites at altitude.
“We know that there are real opportunities for tourism businesses across their operations to reduce consumption in ways that can enhance the guest experience. This course brings expertise together in a format that’s accessible to tourism businesses of all sizes, helping them find solutions that save money while reducing environmental impact.”
Practicality is the key theme. The new training isn’t full of lofty ideals or dense modelling; it’s built around real-world examples of tourism operators already achieving meaningful energy reductions.
Case Studies: Proof That Efficiency Supports Growth
Two standout examples feature in the course:
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Hotel Britomart in Auckland – known for being New Zealand’s first 5 Green Star hotel
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Ziptrek Ecotours in Queenstown – a business built on sustainability as a core operational pillar
Both demonstrate that reducing energy use isn’t a burden but an investment. Operators can trim operating costs, lighten their environmental footprint and create a more comfortable, seamless guest experience—all at once.
A Blueprint for Tourism’s Next Chapter
Ms Ingram says the new training plays a vital role in achieving the targets set out in Tourism 2050 – A Blueprint for Impact, the industry-wide plan designed to secure a sustainable, resilient tourism future.
“Energy efficiency is a fundamental component to achieving the targets outlined in the industry’s strategy Tourism 2050 – A Blueprint for Impact. This latest course provides another practical tool to help our members build on their sustainability actions while growing stronger, more resilient businesses.”
The initiative also reinforces TIA’s commitment under the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, which the organisation signed in May 2025. That commitment requires leadership, knowledge-sharing and collaboration—qualities the sector has embraced since the pandemic reset.
More Information
Full details and course access are available at Akiaki – Advancing Tourism: https://akiaki.nz/.
By Octavia Koo – (c) 2025
Read time: 4 minutes.
About the Writer
Indonesian-born Octavia Koo arrived in Australia in the early 1980s, drawn by the creative promise of Sydney and a place at UNSW, where she studied Arts and soon discovered her flair for visual storytelling. She began as a graphic designer, quickly turning her sharp eye for detail towards the digital frontier, designing websites and crafting polished descriptions that draw people in—and keep them reading.
Her next chapter took her to Singapore, where she built and managed blogs for several tourism platforms, uncovering a natural gift for SEO long before the term became fashionable. There, amid the buzz of ITB Asia, she met Stephen, who suggested she consider Global Travel Media. A few years later, she did just that.
Now part of GTM’s editorial family, Octavia brings a quiet brilliance to her work. She merges art, technology, and intuition to tell travel stories that charm and perform, much like their author.
