A steep, uphill climb in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought Māori tourism back as a key player in the local market.
Māori tourism employee counts increased by 25 percent from 2022, to 3,450 in 2023, according to figures released by Stats NZ.
The biggest increases in employment counts were in the arts and recreational services, and accommodation and food services industries. Compared with 2022, employee counts in arts and recreational services businesses in 2023 increased by 46 percent to 1,050. In accommodation and food services businesses, the increase was 19 percent to 1,850.
“We are seeing employee numbers for most Māori tourism industries return to pre-COVID levels,” Tatauranga umanga Māori manager Geraldine Duoba said.
Employees of Māori tourism-based businesses numbered 3,500 in 2020.
“The increase in employees of Māori businesses within the industry in 2023 compared with 2022 is consistent with the wider tourist industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Data from Tourism satellite account: Year ended March 2023, which measured tourism contribution to the New Zealand economy in terms of expenditure and employment, showed the number of employees in New Zealand tourism businesses increased almost 50 percent from 2022, to 164,619 employees in 2023. This compares with 193,449 in 2020.
While employee counts fell in 2021 and 2022, the total number of Māori tourism businesses has increased steadily since 2018. In 2023, 372 tourist-centric businesses were present in the Tatauranga umanga Māori population.
“The steady increase in Māori tourism businesses despite falls in employee counts over time likely suggests that businesses adapted their operations during COVID in order to survive,” Duoba said.
Local tourism businesses may be either Māori authorities or other locally-run enterprises that are present in industries related to tourism activities.
Business demography statistics provide an annual snapshot of the characteristics of New Zealand businesses. The statistics cover economically significant enterprises that produce goods and services in New Zealand and are as at February each year.
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