Hospitality New Zealand has acknowledged the release of the Government’s Tourism Roadmap, set to boost local tourism.
Steve Armitage, Chief Executive of Hospitality NZ, said the Government’s intent to support the growth of tourism and hospitality, enabling its role in doubling the value of tourism exports, was pleasing.
“We welcome the roadmap’s clear alignment with our Hospitality Summit report, particularly regarding its emphasis on growing the number of Kiwis in tourism and hospitality roles.
“More generally, we see strong alignment with the Going for Growth focuses on ‘developing talent’ and ‘competitive business settings’,” said Armitage.
“We are, however, disappointed to see that International Visitor Levy (IVL) contributions to tourism and conservation projects will be capped in 2025/26, with additional funds being used to subsidise existing government spend in areas such as funding for Tourism New Zealand.”
The announcement was made by Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Louise Upston, and saw NZD $35 million delegated to delivering the first stage of the Roadmap, which has set out the Government’s plan to double the value of tourism.
Upston said the Government must work with industry to unlock the full potential of the tourism sector, and the Roadmap laid out initiatives and investments to ensure its infrastructure, workforce, and communities can support further growth.
“Our view is that the IVL was conceived to generate funds for investment in tourism and conservation, over and above existing budget lines. Particularly when there is a focus on growing tourism arrival numbers, to use IVL funds on what should be taxpayer-funded does little to resolve the nationwide tourism funding gap the industry is facing.
“Hospitality NZ looks forward to ongoing collaboration across the tourism and hospitality sectors to support the implementation of the roadmap.”
“These commitments follow the recent announcements of NZD 13.5 million invested in international tourism marketing and NZD 4 million of investment towards improving the visitor experience along the Milford Road corridor,” said Upston.
“Recent tourism funding has been about boosting visitor numbers. As those higher numbers become established, the Roadmap will shift over time to focus more on supporting communities to look after them well.”
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