Domestic Travel Drug of Choice for New Zealand Tourism Operators

5/08/08

Day trips within New Zealand are the ‘marijuana’ of the country’s tourism industry, and industry members should be working hard to get New Zealanders hooked.

That was the analogy used by Peter Blackwell, General Manager of AA Tourism at the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) Conference in Christchurch yesterday.

“From day trips to the beach comes our domestic travel,” said Mr Blackwell.

By inspiring New Zealanders to start out with day trips, tourism operators will see a consequent surge in longer term domestic travel, he said.

“In the past year, day trips have declined precipitously, with $300 million less spent,” said Mr Blackwell.

“Domestic tourism is the true tonic to our seasonality issue, but it must be driven by the commercial businesses in our industry.

“Inspiration, value, education and immediacy are the ingredients to turning on the domestic market.”

Chair of the Regional Tourism Operators of New Zealand (RTONZ) Paul Davis said that domestic tourism ‘underpins’ the tourism industry in this country.

“Domestic tourism is the engine room of New Zealand tourism and makes up more than half of tourism earnings.”

In the year to March, New Zealanders spent $7.4 billion on travel in New Zealand – a figure that is down on previous years.

“Millions and millions of dollars are leaking to Australia. In the year to March 2008, 956,000 New Zealanders took short term trips to Australia, and spent $2.2 billion.

“New Zealand is a great country stacked with fantastic products and all accessible without paying an international departure tax!” said Mr Davis.

The Tourism Industry Conference runs from August 4-5 in Christchurch.