The new Minister for Economic Growth, Nicola Willis, is determined to steer New Zealand towards a wealthier economy by focusing on boosting tourism. However, the mayor of Queenstown says the government will need to prepare funding if it intends to accommodate an increase in tourists visiting the country.
During an interview with RNZ, Willis stated, “I want all tourists because, ultimately, it’s not the government that decides how much a tourist spends when they come to New Zealand. That tourists will make that decision.”
“Our job is to make it easy for them to come in the door, easy for them to come to New Zealand, make this a really attractive destination, and then when they get here, I’ve great faith in our tourism providers that they’ll do everything that they can to get as many dollars out of those back pockets as possible.”
Willis outlined her vision for attracting tourists by reforming rules and regulations. Streamlining the visa application process and strengthening partnerships with airlines are also a part of the new Economic Growth minister’s tourism boost strategy.
“Our message is actually when we’ve got more tourists coming, more tourists spending, that’s good for jobs, it’s good for growth, and it’s good for the wealth of individual New Zealand families, so that’s what we’re driving for,” Willis said.
Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers stated that the Queenstown Lakes District is already delivering the minister’s goal, with current tourist numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
While Glyn expressed his support for continued tourism growth, he highlighted that the local community’s social license for tourism has been negatively impacted. He emphasised the necessity for assistance in funding infrastructure improvements, such as roads and utilities, to effectively manage the influx of additional visitors.
“If that is to increase, I would expect a very serious investment in actually accommodating those visitors because a small ratepayer base cannot sustainably keep supporting the tourism industry, especially when those GST receipts or the economic, financial growth that we create is sent up to Wellington,” he said.
Willis expressed her openness to collaborating with communities to address these challenges.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram also commented, “It’s also important to ensure that we’re investing in New Zealand to make sure that the growth that we do receive occurs in a balanced way.”
“When I talk about balance, what I’m talking about is the fact that we include economic, community, and environmental considerations when thinking about how we want to grow,” she said.
“Tourism funding has been a hot topic for many, many years, and if we’re wanting to really supercharge tourism in New Zealand, I think we should also be thinking about how we ensure that our communities and our local government partners have got the funds that they need to ensure that that growth is well planned for and well managed on the ground.”
Willis did not dismiss the possibility of increasing tourism funding for New Zealand; however, she emphasised that the initial step would involve reviewing how the current funding is being utilised and determining if it is being allocated effectively.