12 June 2009 Media Statement

The recipe according to John Key: Build something and the tourists will flock to see it!

Tourism Minister John Key is suffering from the naïve delusion that if he builds something, tourists will flock to New Zealand to see it, says Labour Tourism spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

“First there was the national cycleway and now it's a Rugby World Cup facelift for Jellicoe St in Auckland,” Kelvin Davis said.

"There's little argument that a facelift for the waterfront will be an asset for Auckland, and will be a fun focal point for the Rugby World Cup party, but does anyone seriously believe potential tourists will think to themselves, ‘ "wow, the New Zealand Government has done up Jellicoe St , we've got to visit there!’"

Kelvin Davis said not one single tourist will visit New Zealand because of “a burning urge to walk along a revamped Jellicoe Street.

“More importantly, there is no spin-off to a single tourism operator outside of the Auckland CBD.

“I've just spent two days at the TRENZ Conference showcasing the very best of New Zealand's tourism industry. The vast majority of the country's operators will be gutted that there's nothing in what Mr Key said yesterday that will attract more tourists to New Zealand,” Kelvin Davis said.

"Mr Key failed to meet the industry’s expectations. Everyone I spoke to at TRENZ was adamant about one thing. We need to increase our marketing so that we maintain our profile in international and domestic markets.

"The equation is quite simple. The tourism industry and the country need more people to spend more time and money on holiday in New Zealand.

“Tourism is a recession buster and returns are almost immediate.”

ENDS

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