New Zealand tourism leaders are stressing the need to attract tourists to stimulate the economy. The country’s government is committed to eliminating a significant barrier to visitor entry.

The need to convert people’s vague intentions of visiting New Zealand into actual visits is quite a theme at TRENZ in Rotorua. Less emphasis is placed on targeting the high end of the market and more on boosting overall numbers.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, and the country’s Tourism and Hospitality Minister, Louise Upston, spoke at TRENZ yesterday. They pledged to remove an impediment to non-English-speaking visitors – the requirement to certify the accuracy of translations into English of supporting documents.

Tourists will no longer need their document translations certification before entering New Zealand. The change will cut costs and align translation requirements with those in force in Australia.

Once the change is made (26 May is the target date), visitors will need only to advise who translated the document and their qualifications to do so.

The onerous translation certification requirement has hindered visits from India and China, two growing sources of tourism to New Zealand.

Luxon said people often told him overseas that New Zealand was on their travel wish list. The time had arrived to convert the intentions into action, with positive steps to “reignite our tourism industry and propel it back to the heights of 2019 and beyond”.

Luxon, a former Air New Zealand chief executive, pledged to ease airline connectivity, pointing out that airlines provided a “lifeline to strengthening our global ties” in tourism and trade.

Upston wants to build tourism into New Zealand’s number one export, restoring visits to the levels seen in 2019 (before Covid struck) and promoting the unique experiences that make New Zealand unforgettable.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram thanked Luxon for his government’s Going for Growth program, which she says “is bringing momentum to the tourism industry”.

“We are an industry of growth potential, and we are ready to do our part for New Zealand’s wellbeing and prosperity,” Ingram declared.

“Tourism is an economic heavy hitter. When tourism thrives – so does New Zealand. Tourism is our second-largest export earner – but it’s also one of our most inclusive. TRENZ helps future-proof our economy by spreading opportunity across cities, towns and rural areas. Tourism showcases our cultural richness and builds people-to-people connections.”

Ingram added that the data backed that up.

In the year to March 2024, visitor spending generated NZ$44 billion for our economy, which equates to NZ$121m per day.

“What stands out for me though, is the more than 303,000 people who are directly or indirectly employed by the visitor economy. That is 1 in 10 jobs in New Zealand.”

Ingram pointed out that most tourism operators are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

“They are the powerhouse behind this contribution.”

 

 

 

Written by Peter Needham at TRENZ in Rotorua, New Zealand

 

 

 

 

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