News

Tourism is the beating heart of New Zealand’s economy with daily spend figures reaching a record high.

New Zealand’s popularity is growing as an international conference hosting destination. New data from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranks New Zealand 46th in the world as a conference destination, up five places on 2017, and 12th in Asia Pacific.

“As New Zealand’s top export earner, tourism is the beating heart of New Zealand’s economy and we all have a role to keep it that way,” Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall said at TRENZ today.

New Zealand’s ability to deliver a world-class visitor experience has seen the value of international tourism surpass $16 billion per year and become New Zealand’s top export earner. Research is conducted twice a year to provide insight into New Zealanders’ sentiment about international tourism.

Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis has announced the appointment of Jamie Tuuta as Chair of the Tourism New Zealand Board and Roger Sharp as Deputy Chair. The appointments were announced at the inaugural Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand Experience Awards at Parliament last night.

Seven exceptional visitor experience operators have been celebrated at the inaugural Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand Experience Awards. The Awards recognise excellence in sustainable visitor experiences and were presented at Parliament tonight by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Kelvin Davis.

Tourism New Zealand has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tencent Holdings Limited to keep New Zealand top of mind for high-value Chinese visitors. Through Tencent’s integrated digital marketing in mainland China, Chinese free and independent travellers (FIT) will have access to fresh, unique New Zealand travel experiences like never before, building New Zealand as a desirable, international destination brand in China.

Qualmark has announced 41 finalists for the inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Experience Awards. Over 100 entries were received for this year’s awards, which Qualmark General Manager, Gregg Anderson says is a credit to the high standard of experiences on offer by Qualmark Gold accredited operators.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and Tourism New Zealand welcome the official opening of the 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism.

An early Chinese New Year has resulted in strong January holiday visitor arrivals from China, while other key markets follow global trends with an expected slowdown in growth.