Tourism Industry Awards finalists
highlight diversity of industry
2 May 2006

What do an international airline, a wood products gallery and a luxury Bay of Islands resort have in common?

What links the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour with a promotional campaign urging New Zealanders to “Have a love affair with Wellington”?

They are all finalists in the prestigious New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards 2006.

The Tourism Industry Association, which manages the awards with significant support from sponsors Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand, has today announced the 33 finalists for this year’s awards.

Tourism operators from all over New Zealand feature among the finalists, who include previous Tourism Industry Award winners as well as first-time entrants.

“It’s encouraging to see such a high calibre of entrants. I don’t envy the judges their task in deciding the winners,” TIA Chief Executive Fiona Luhrs said.

“The Awards recognise and reward excellence in the New Zealand tourism industry. They represent the highest possible accolade for New Zealand tourism operators and are an opportunity to celebrate excellence and encourage continuous improvement in an ever-changing business environment.”

This year the finalists have been announced several weeks earlier than in the past, giving those operators extra time to promote their finalist status. It was one of several innovations to the entry process which saw entries to the Awards double.

ENDS

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