The Government has published a tourism policy statement that assigns distinct roles to central government, councils and the tourism sector, alongside a goal of doubling tourism export earnings from 2023 levels by 2034.
The statement sets out eight policy objectives with implementation actions distributed across the three groups. Central government will lead international marketing in partnership with councils and industry, while councils will lead domestic marketing in partnership with industry and with central government support.
Tourism is New Zealand's second largest export earner. Tourism Minister Louise Upston said "a deliberate, planned approach is essential to achieving our tourism growth goals and maintaining New Zealand's international competitiveness". The Government plans a separate implementation plan to sequence the policy actions.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram called the policy statement a major milestone for the industry, saying "there is clear alignment between what the sector and government want to achieve, and the pathways needed to get there". Ingram called for cross-party support for the statement.
Upston also announced $5 million in new Regional Tourism Boost funding, with three-fifths sourced from reallocated Major Events and Tourism package money and the balance from the International Visitor Levy. Regional tourism organisations can apply for the contestable funding to draw international visitors, with this round focused on campaigns aimed at Australian, Chinese and North American markets.