TIA urges govt to make a smart move

TIA urges govt to make a smart move

New Zealand’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry wants SmartGate electronic passport processing extended to other key visitor markets to boost visitor numbers.

“Creating seamless border experiences and removing barriers for people travelling to New Zealand is critical to growing international visitor arrivals,” Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Tim Cossar says.

Extending SmartGate beyond Australia would create significant growth in foreign exchange earnings from visitors, Mr Cossar says.

“The border is like New Zealand’s ‘shop window’. While security must always be paramount, first impressions count, and a straightforward, welcoming arrival will leave a favourable impression on visitors.”

TIA will be strongly encouraging the incoming government to identify markets where SmartGate could be introduced. TIA’s Tourism Future Statement 2011-14 The Visitor Economy: Creating Wealth www.tianz.org.nz/nztourismfuture highlights the fact that this is one of the ways New Zealand can make it easier for travellers.

Also important, particularly for rapidly growing markets like China, is reducing the time it takes to process visas. TIA acknowledges that enormous improvements have been made in the last three years, and wants to ensure this continues.

Reducing the time it takes to renew work visas will definitely benefit tourism businesses, many of whom rely on working holidaymakers over the peak season. TIA has achieved some success with Immigration New Zealand in Queenstown on this issue and will continue to work with officials to reduce uncertainty for both employers and working travellers.

“Growing direct air links with other countries will definitely boost lucrative visitor numbers. We have seen that this year, with a 56% increase in Malaysian visitors since Air Asia X introduced its new Kuala Lumpur-Christchurch service,” Mr Cossar says.

“This clearly demonstrates the importance of building air links with important visitor markets, and we’ll be encouraging the incoming government to take action on this.”

TIA will also be calling for continued lobbying against departure taxes imposed by foreign governments, like Britain’s Air Passenger Duty (APD). The additional costs generated by such taxes can be a strong disincentive for long-haul travel.

Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park “Creeksyde” owner Erna Spijkerbosch says growing visitor numbers brings real benefits to New Zealand.

“We bring people in from overseas and scatter them to all the corners of New Zealand. The income and the benefits are right across the regions and cities,” she says.

Go to www.tianz.org.nz/nztourismfuture to download a copy of the Tourism Future Statement 2011-2014 The Visitor Economy: Creating Wealth.

The tourism industry’s five priorities for the incoming government for the next three years are:

• Delivering Value
Keeping the industry at the centre of political and public attention will be important in building on the gains achieved in the past three years and delivering value to the New Zealand economy.

• Improving Infrastructure
While New Zealand’s natural environment provides the setting for a range of visitor experiences, quality infrastructure is needed to support the range of activities that visitors enjoy.

• Making Travel Easier
Making travel easier is integral to a great holiday. Creating seamless border experiences and removing barriers for people travelling to New Zealand will be critical to growing international visitor arrivals.

• Providing Relevant Information
Dynamic changes within the industry and economy mean the delivery of relevant and timely information is critical for business planning.

• Stimulating Domestic Tourism
It is time to make a holiday at home aspirational and help New Zealanders see their country through an international lens.

ENDS

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