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Executive summary

The New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 updates the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2010, which was released in 2001. It responds to the changes that we have seen in the global and local tourism marketplace over the past 5 years, and puts forward a clear pathway to make sure that New Zealand gets the best possible value from the changes that we anticipate in the future.

Tourism is a significant contributor to the New Zealand economy. It contributes $18.6 billion to the economy each year, and involves all New Zealanders, whether they own and operate tourism and hospitality businesses, supply products to them, or are visitors or hosts.

The audience for this Strategy is therefore very wide—everyone connected to or involved with New Zealand’s tourism sector, including operators, local government, central government, and training, education and research institutions.

Two values central to this Strategy are kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality). Originally incorporated into the 2010 Strategy following consultation with a Maori advisory group, these values continue to provide a foundation for a sustainable approach to the development of the industry.

Kaitiakitanga means guardianship, care and protection. It provides a basis for our approach to sustainably managing our natural, cultural, and built environment for current and future generations.

Manaakitanga implies a reciprocal responsibility upon a host, and an invitation to a visitor to experience the very best we have to offer. Applying these values throughout the Strategy reflects our intention to move forward together, based on a shared and uniquely New Zealand approach.

The Strategy’s vision is that in 2015, tourism is valued as the leading contributor to a sustainable New Zealand economy. The sector faces a number of challenges in achieving this. Globally, it faces the impacts of climate change on worldwide travel patterns, exchange rate fluctuations and restricted aviation capacity. At a local level, challenges include the availability of appropriately qualified and skilled staff, environmental management, and domestic air capacity and transport links.

To guide the sector towards its vision, the Strategy contains four key outcomes, and the priorities and actions needed to achieve them. The following diagram summarises the Strategy’s vision, outcomes, and priorities.

In 2015, tourism is valued as the leading contributor to a sustainable New Zealand economy

OUTCOME ONE
NEW ZEALAND DELIVERS A WORLD–CLASS VISITOR EXPERIENCE

• New Zealand is seen by visitors as a desirable, high–quality destination
• The New Zealand tourism industry offers booking services that are easy to use
• The i–SITE network is recognised by visitors as being a source of high–quality and objective visitor information
• Qualmark is recognised by consumers as a mark of quality
• The tourism sector is committed to monitoring visitor satisfaction and perceptions of quality
• New Zealand’s infrastructure supports a quality visitor experience at all stages of the journey
• Domestic travellers help create a strong demand for visitor products and services
• Maori actively participate and invest in the tourism sector.

OUTCOME TWO
NEW ZEALAND’S TOURISM SECTOR IS PROSPEROUS AND ATTRACTS ONGOING INVESTMENT

• Tourism businesses identify and put in place strategies that will consistently increase their returns on investment
• Businesses deliver products and experiences that meet the expectations of high–value visitors
• Tourism attracts and retains an appropriately skilled workforce
• The tourism sector improves demand during the off–season
• New Zealand’s tourism research is accessible, timely, high–quality, and relevant to the decisions that need to be made.

OUTCOME THREE
THE TOURISM SECTOR TAKES A LEADING ROLE IN PROTECTING AND ENHANCING THE ENVIRONMENT

• The tourism sector contributes to a whole–of–New Zealand approach to ensure that New Zealand’s environment will continue to be enjoyed by future generations and visitors, in the spirit of kaitiakitanga (guardianship)
• The expectations of our visitors are clearly understood, and visitors are able to easily identify and select products that deliver good environmental performance
• The tourism sector leads the way in introducing initiatives that will reduce carbon emissions and increase the energy efficiency of transport within and en route to New Zealand
• The tourism sector improves its energy efficiency, energy conservation, and use of renewable
  energy at all levels
• The tourism sector takes active steps to reduce and manage its waste, encourages other sectors to do the same, and engages with the local, regional, and national agencies that provide waste–management standards and facilities
• Tourism businesses have the capability and knowledge to take a leading role in protecting and enhancing the environment
• The tourism sector, DOC, and other key agencies continue to work together to make sure that conservation values are enhanced
• Visitors’ tourism experiences give them the opportunity to learn about and contribute to New Zealand’s environmental and conservation goals.

OUTCOME FOUR
THE TOURISM SECTOR AND COMMUNITIES WORK TOGETHER FOR MUTUAL BENEFIT

• The tourism sector is an active partner in planning and managing our communities
• Local authorities understand the benefits tourism offers and lead destination management and planning initiatives and processes to maximise these benefits
• Tourism decision–making by local government, communities, iwi, and the tourism sector is
  informed by high–quality research
• Regions and communities preserve and promote their local culture and character and incorporate this into all aspects of the visitor experience
• Core infrastructure and facilities are appropriately funded.

The Strategy recognises that for tourism to prosper and benefits to be shared, all of New Zealand must be sustainable, and all sectors must work collectively towards this. The Strategy identifies and shows the linkages between other initiatives and strategies that have implications for the development of the tourism sector.

Measuring our success

A number of ambitious targets have been set to drive us towards our vision for 2015. While growth in the volume of visitor arrivals is important, and indeed arrivals are forecast to increase at around 4% per annum, the targets focus on value and quality-based tourism development. A shift in focus towards value is needed to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the industry. Immediate targets relate to visitor satisfaction, visitor spend, and seasonality. Measures for the environmental and community impacts of tourism will also be developed.

Implementation of the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015

The Strategy includes a number of priorities and recommended actions to achieve our vision for tourism. These are wide-ranging and will require all stakeholders to play a part. Relevant stakeholders for each priority have been identified in this document.

The next step is to develop a detailed implementation plan. This will be led by the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Industry Association, and Tourism New Zealand, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. This will be completed in early 2008.

An update of the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 is planned around 2012.