Quality certification in focus at tourism conference

CHRISTCHURCH - Tourism operators will require Tourism New Zealand quality certification from 2007 if they want to be included in the government body's efforts to maintain and extend our reputation as a high end tourist destination amid increasing international competition.

"As from 2007, all New Zealand tourism businesses that wish to work with us in offshore markets will need an independent quality assurance programme for their business," Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton told the Trenz (Tourism Rendezvous NZ) conference in Christchurch.

The only existing certification which Tourism NZ currently accepts is its Qualmark joint venture with the Automobile Association.

"We do not believe we can continue to take with us people who are tourism providers who don't have some degree of assurance about the style, the quality and the safety and all the other elements of their business that are so important."

Ensuring and maintaining quality within the tourism industry has emerged as a key theme over the first two days at Trenz - New Zealand's international tourism showcase and this country's largest trade fair.

Chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association (Tianz) Fiona Luhrs said things were "getting interesting" in the international tourism market with New Zealand facing increased competition from number of "hot destinations" including India, Vietnam, Cambodia, South America, Africa and China.

New Zealand was also facing competition from Australia which had a much bigger marketing budget.

Furthermore, exchange rate movements had made New Zealand dearer weighing on its appeal to international visitors, "and we've seen that in the last few lots of stats coming through," Ms Luhrs said.

Ensuring quality was necessary to retain or gain market share.

Mr Hickton said Tourism NZ had been working for some years to support the Qualmark organisation.

"Our aim is to ensure that that provides an independent quality assurance standard for tourism businesses."

Tourism NZ needed to be confident that providers standing behind it had some degree of independent assessment, he said.

Tianz's Ms Luhrs told NZPA the well-flagged move should not come as a surprise to the industry.

"It is something whose time has come and that makes a lot of sense.

"We're a long way away from everywhere else, we're a niche market and there's really only one strategy and that's to be a premium niche market. When you're this far away people are always going to have to dole out a reasonable amount to get here other than Australians."

An industry strategy document released five years ago set out the plan for New Zealand to become premium tourism destination.

"Part of that has been getting Qualmark up and running which I was responsible for five years ago."

Ms Luhrs said Qualmark would cost operators from "a few hundred dollars", to about $5000 for an annual license fee depending on their size by staff or turnover.

She said Qualmark was an industry service rather than a revenue gathering exercise. Almost 50 per cent of the 420 businesses attending Trenz were already Qualmark certified. Trenz runs until tomorrow.

- NZPA