Wednesday Letter

Queenstown must rebuild its tourism and at the same time invest in economic ‘insurance’.

A start date for a trans-Tasman bubble could mark more than just the return of Australians for New Zealand tourism, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

The tourism minister is cutting a unilateral path through the sector, writes the Ticker’s Bennett Richardson. 

Stuart Nash rode into Glacier Country raising hopes of support but instead he took aim at the struggling community’s pleas, writes the Ticker’s Bridget O’Connell.     

It’s been a long road to recovery but momentum is building in this brand new city, writes Loren Heaphy.

How the Auditor-General’s inquiry could help some who missed out on support.

The Ticker’s Paul Yandall on the Government’s response to the tourism crisis a year after it started closing the country’s border.

The Ticker hit the road over Christmas and saw a stark difference in how regions were coping with the closed border.

The Ticker’s Paul Yandall looks ahead at how the industry could be reshaped post-Covid.

In its submission to the Tourism Futures Taskforce, Holiday Parks New Zealand focused on responsible camping, sustainability and the conservation estate.

The Ticker’s view on who should be the next minister of tourism.

ACT leader David Seymour on how the party plans to support tourism.

NZ First’s tourism spokesperson on how it plans to help drive up revenue for the industry.

The Green Party’s tourism spokesperson lays out her vision for the sector.

National’s tourism spokesperson lays out his vision for the sector.

As part of our Election 2020 coverage, we hand over Wednesday Letter to each of the main party tourism spokespeople for their vision for New Zealand tourism. This week, tourism minister Kelvin Davis.

The association’s CEO on why the latest lockdown “feels so much worse” for the struggling industry.

Queenstown Lakes District mayor Jim Boult on the potential downturn in spending at the end of wage subsidies, getting events into district, and a two-speed economy.

The CEO of NZ Māori Tourism on the value of investing in the cultural wealth.

A lively school holidays and Australia’s extension of its JobKeeper programme should prompt a rethink by the Government of its suppport for tourism, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

Haka Tours & ANZ Nature Tours general manager Eve Lawrence says she is exasperated with the media coverage of the Covid-19 fallout, adding the negativity is affecting mental health and the outlook for businesses.

TIA’s Roberts on coping with Covid impacts, applying for STAPP, and lobbying “hard and relentlessly” for industry.

Southern RTOs should jointly market the South Island as a destination, say economists Peter Fieger and Tom Coupe.

The DG on the $500m Jobs for Nature scheme, the Great Walks differential pricing trial, and getting Kiwis into nature.

The Government needs to provide more than just money if tourism is to have any hope of a decent recovery, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall. 

New Zealand Tourism recovery: Are there lessons from a Fiji-styled ‘Tourism Action Group’?

Now is the time to rethink and reshape tourism for a domestic market, says tourism professor David Simmons.

The Ticker’s Paul Yandall on why there’s hope in the recent past for New Zealand tourism.

Marion Joppe, Law and Economics of Tourism Professor at Canada’s University of Guelph, says outbound tourism and travel to China has been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak with the impact being felt around the world and in many industries.

TNZ’s CEO during the 2003 crisis on what can be applied to today’s coronavirus outbreak. 

The minister reflects on 2019 and looks ahead to the Govt’s key priorities for tourism in 2020. 

The CEO on last week’s tragic events, the heartwarming community response, and the challenges ahead for tourism.

Despite Monday’s terrible events, operators should be allowed to return, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

Tourism growth needs to be productive, sustainable and inclusive, says TIA’s chief executive.

Departing CINZ chief executive Sue Sullivan has a final message for government.

The collapse of Skyline’s sale of Totally Tourism may give the group pause for thought, writes the Ticker’s Bridget O’Connell.

The long-term benefits stemming from the inaugural Lightning Lab Tourism business accelerator are more important than the immediate successes of the cohort, writes the Ticker’s Bridget O’Connell.

How can government make things better for tourism and the local communities impacted by it?

Skyline’s sale of its Totally Tourism business signals the start of a new era for the international operator but what else could be up for sale, asks the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

RAL’s Sky Waka and NTT’s Dark Sky Project are part of a tourism transformation underway in the regions.

Emotions bubbled up at the NZ Hotel Industry Conference last week with the industry tired of what it sees as local government exploitation and central government indifference, writes the Ticker’s Bridget O’Connell. 

The industry responds to whether it too needs such a partnership with government.

In a rare public skirmish this week, Regional Tourism NZ and Tourism Industry Aotearoa staked out opposing positions on regional funding for tourism – positions the Ticker’s Paul Yandall believes are both right – and wrong. 

Air New Zealand’s call for tourism operators to “follow its lead” by slashing prices is not a sustainable strategy for the sector, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

China has taken a shot across NZ’s economic bow. Industry should prepare for the worst.

Much of the Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals conference challenged industry’s standards and assumptions. That’s a good thing, writes the Ticker’s Bridget O’Connell.

If the past year was charaterised by restructuring, reorganising and a raft of industry initiatives, then this year should be one of results, writes the Ticker’s Paul Yandall.

Following this week’s publication of the latest Mood of the Nation survey, the Ticker takes an eyes-wide-open reading of the research and finds reasons for the industry to be fearful – and one to be cheerful.

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Beyond the expected ambitions, the government has put forward a number of intriguing initiatives.