Key turns the lock on boosting NZ business tourism
New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, has retained his Tourism portfolio for a third consecutive term, in a move applauded by Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) which says government focus is exactly what is needed to put New Zealand on an international stage.
“There is still a lot of work to do as New Zealand gears up for a huge business events infrastructure boost,” CINZ chief executive, Sue Sullivan said.
“We applaud Mr Key for having the big picture in his sights and putting New Zealand on the international stage.”
A total of 517,000 delegates attended 5,000 conferences in New Zealand for around 1 million delegate days in the year ending June 2014.
New Zealand is also set to welcome two new convention centres in Auckland and Christchurch by 2018, with a spotlight on boosting business offerings in Wellington and Queenstown as well.
“We can confidently get out and sell our country to the world as a great place to meet, learn and do business,” Sullivan said.
“Mr Key gets our industry. He and his team understand business events and business tourism and the value of putting them at the top of the government’s growth agenda
“We are delighted to know there will be a continued focus on high value and special interest visitors, and ongoing support to attract conventions through Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events funding.”
The new convention centres are expected to have a positive economic impact extending beyond regional boundaries, according to CINZ, which anticipates that many delegates using the facilities will then take the opportunity to travel to other parts of the country, boosting business often in off-peak seasons.
“International convention delegates are also valuable to New Zealand because of the knowledge and expertise they bring to the country, while staging them here shines the spotlight on New Zealand and lets New Zealanders share their expertise with the world,” Sullivan said.
Key appointed Hon. Paula Bennett as his new Associate Minister of Tourism.
Latest figures show of the 57,200 overseas visitors to New Zealand for conferences for the 2013-14 financial year, they together contributed half a billion NZ dollars to the economy.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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