Tourism debates how to ride the growth wave

New Zealand’s $30 billion tourism industry will be focusing on issues that come with rampant growth at next week’s sold-out 2015 Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand National Tourism Summit.

Introducing the event, TIANZ Chief Executive Chris Roberts explains “the industry has built up an impressive head of steam as we fast-track towards the Tourism 2025 $41 billion aspirational goal

“Annual visitor arrivals into New Zealand are increasing rapidly, recently passing the 3 million milestone and growing at more than 200,000 arrivals each year. We’re on a roll, but with that growth comes pressures.”

Roberts says issues relating to tourism’s social licence to operate, such as how many visitors are too many, have become high on the industry’s radar.

How those issues are managed is a key theme running through the Summit programme.

Roberts adds “the importance of these issues is demonstrated by the fact this year’s Summit is a sell-out.

“More than 260 tourism and government leaders will be attending and we are expecting some lively debate to figure out how tourism can ride the growth wave and not get dumped.”

The Summit programme features a high-powered line-up of New Zealand and international speakers who will discuss the critical challenges facing the industry and seek solutions to:

• Hosting hundreds of thousands more visitors without losing the goodwill of Kiwis and without damaging the natural environment
• Finding investment to fund new infrastructure and deciding when the time is right to make that investment
• Recruiting enough good staff
• Ensuring the industry consistently delivers a world-class, genuine Kiwi experience
• Encouraging visitors to come here throughout the year and travel beyond the visitor hot-spots

International presenters include UK-based Roger Flynn, a transformational change expert with experience driving such change in five global brand-name companies, including Virgin, where he worked directly for Sir Richard Branson.

Big disruptive ideas will be presented in a session titled Ambitious Thinking for Tomorrow’s World.

Roberts concludes “we want to transport delegates into the future to examine technological issues and solutions that will impact their business in a few years such as virtual reality and 3D hologram interactions.”

The Summit will also hear from a senior Government Minister, a panel of political party leaders who will be asked about their visions for tourism, and a panel of senior public sector officials sharing what they are doing to assist tourism.

The TIANZ National Tourism Summit is the largest national annual event that brings together business and government leaders from all sectors of New Zealand’s big and fast-growing tourism industry.

The Summit is being held on Thursday 19th November at Shed 6 on Wellington’s waterfront.

It is supported by Premier Sponsor Wellington Airport, ServiceIQ, Lincoln University, Westpac, SmartPay, the New Zealand School of Tourism and InterContinental Wellington.

Go to www.nationaltourismsummit.co.nz for more information

Image courtesy of Ziptrek Queenstown.

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