Tourism Industry Association NZ prefers Visa

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Tourism Industry Association NZ prefers Visa

VISA increases support for New Zealand’s tourism industry

Auckland, 21 September 2005 – Visa International has strengthened its commitment to one of New Zealand’s largest export industries – tourism – through its new business partnership with the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA).

Visa will look to undertake work in partnership with TIA on research, marketing and industry education. The partnership has been secured for an initial period of the next three years, which includes allowing Visa to use the term “The Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand prefers Visa”.

Visa’s New Zealand Manager, Mr Iain Jamieson, said the world’s leading payment brand would be looking to increase its role in the development of New Zealand’s tourism industry.

“New Zealand’s tourism industry is a strong performer - that’s due to government support, great marketing and a coordinated industry. It is critical that any industry has a strong representative body and Visa’s investment is aimed at helping make the TIA even stronger. A stronger association is good for the industry, it is good for Visa – it is good for New Zealand as a whole,” Mr. Jamieson said.

“We believe global payment cards, such as Visa, play an important role in facilitating tourism and helping make domestic and international travel more accessible. Around one in three dollars spent by overseas visitors in New Zealand is done via Visa.”

Mr Jamieson said Visa can help New Zealand’s tourism industry with the development of secure in person, internet, phone and mail-order commerce and initiate other substantial savings over certain other payment card brands.

TIA is a membership-based private sector organisation representing the interests of over 2000 businesses throughout the tourism industry. Collectively TIA Members are responsible for around 85% of the total annual turnover in the industry.

TIA Chief Executive, Fiona Luhrs welcomes VISA to TIA. “This partnership will benefit TIA Members enormously. The considerable support offered by VISA will strengthen our reach throughout the industry, allow us to support Members more directly, and with good information further extend our influence on government and decision makers,” she said.

Visa is a long time supporter of New Zealand’s tourism industry through its active partnerships and network of more than 100,000 merchants throughout the country. Visa is also a major category sponsor of the Tourism Innovation Category at the New Zealand Tourism Awards, held in Auckland this week.

Visa’s partnership with TIA is an integral part of its strategic approach to tourism in the region. Visa recently became a Premier Partner of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and in Australia, Visa is a member of the Tourism Transport Forum of Australia (TTF) and the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).

ENDS

About Visa: Visa is the world’s leading payment brand generating more than US$3 trillion in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries. The Visa organization plays a pivotal role in developing innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce—the ability to conduct commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

Visa Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Visa has a greater market share than all other payment card brands combined with 62 percent of all card purchases at the point of sale being made using Visa cards. There are currently 238 million Visa-branded cards in the region. In 2004, US$475 billion was spent at point of sale or withdrawn from ATMs in Asia Pacific using Visa cards. Visa Asia Pacific’s Internet address is www.visa-asia.com.

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