Auckland has long been New Zealand’s biggest and busiest city, but now it is starting to gain some serious interest from all over the world.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has joined forces with Auckland’s destination industry to boost the city’s profile as a place to come and visit for both business and leisure. The partnership has already received applications for membership to the tune of over $1.75 million, most of which are visitor economy businesses across the region.
The partnership has been specifically designed as an interim solution to fund tourism marketing as well as business event attractions. A national funding solution is in the process of being developed. The partnership allows businesses to voluntarily contribute, depending on its level of interaction with the visitor economy.
Chief executive of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Nick Hill, said that the destination partnership is off to a fantastic start, and is exploring different revenue streams and partnerships to continue to support the greater Auckland region.
“Over the past few years, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, like any other business, has felt the brunt of the changing economic environment. In September 2022, we launched the Visit Auckland Partnership Programme, collaborating with the industry to address the funding shortfall left by suspending the Accommodation Provider Targeted Rate. We’re now building on that short-term programme’s success through the launch of the Destination Partnership Programme, which sees us continuing to take a collective approach to ensure Auckland remains competitive in attracting business and leisure visitors,” said Hill.
Five membership levels are available for businesses to choose from, with a free option right through to premium memberships for major contributors. From here, the funds will be distributed towards marketing, tourism trade activity in offshore markets, and business event attractions in Auckland. Nick Hill added that part of the formula behind the programme is to ensure that a wide range of sectors are best represented through the funding.
Chief customer officer at Auckland Airport, Scott Tasker, said that joining the Destination Partnership Programme had provided an opportunity to make sure the hard work continues to keep Auckland in the hearts and minds of travellers from key markets.
“Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has something to offer every kind of visitor – whether they’re a business traveller keen to connect with clients over a great restaurant meal or an overseas visitor wanting to experience an adrenaline-filled adventure in stunning natural surroundings. But we need to invest to ensure we’re on the radar of people when they’re making choices about their next business conference, their next catch-up with friends and whānau, or their next great adventure. We are really pleased to be partnering with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to keep Auckland front and centre of these decisions,” said Tasker.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has previously collaborated within the destination industry and saw a successful collaboration campaign between Auckland and Australia.
