Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Backpacker backlash after minister urges focus on wealthy tourism

By Christian Fuller
Hawkes Bay Today·
17 Nov, 2020 01:32 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash is encouraging tourism operators to target wealthy tourists rather than backpackers and freedom campers. Photo / File

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash is encouraging tourism operators to target wealthy tourists rather than backpackers and freedom campers. Photo / File

A Hawke's Bay backpackers owner has fired back at new Tourism Minister Stuart Nash after he encouraged tourism operators to target wealthy tourists rather than backpackers and freedom campers.

Speaking at the Tourism Industry Association conference in Wellington, Napier MP Nash delivered a blunt message to tourism operators, saying there will be no return to a pre-Covid "business as usual" - and proposing a "reset".

Nash said the New Zealand tourism sector should target high-spending tourists in the future and charge them more, so local communities were not footing the bill for infrastructure and environmental impacts of tourism.

"No longer will New Zealand communities tolerate the worst of our freedom camping visitors, and nor should they. Some, but not all, have abused our renowned hospitality," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I firmly believe that the low-spending but high-cost tourist is not the future of our tourism industry."

However, Hastings-based Rotten Apple Backpackers manager Jason Claaffen Van Loggeneerg said backpackers not only make up a majority of remaining tourists, but will also be the first to return to New Zealand.

"Backpackers are going to be the ones who come back first after Covid. They're banging at the doors, waiting for a vaccine. The richer guys will wait until things calm down," he said.

Claaffen Van Loggeneerg said not only are a lot of backpackers still in the country, they also provide further contributions to the country's economy through working alongside their stay.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Nash has a point that the wealthy tourists will do the expensive boat trips and wine tours, but backpackers will jump in a car and do it themselves," he said.

"But not only are my guys spending money, but they also contribute with PAYE for the Government and fill an important role in New Zealand for fruit picking, packhouses and so on - so the backpacker industry is still extremely important.

Discover more

New Zealand

'Little compassion or empathy': Resthome resident left on ground after fall

17 Nov 03:48 AM
New Zealand

At least 170 Napier flood, land and slip damage claims made

17 Nov 02:36 AM

"We've got guys here who earn around $990 a week and then not only pay tax, but also will spend that at farmers' markets and other local businesses," he added.

However, Hawke's Bay Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said New Zealand's response to Covid-19 has enhanced its reputation as a "desirable destination" that could elicit a premium from international visitors.

"The notion of driving higher value in our industry is one many would support and seek to benefit from," he said.

"This could be an investment in time by staying longer through slow tourism initiatives, through deeper engagement with our local communities or by an increase in visitor spend; all of which deliver unique value to our regions and our communities."

According to Hawke's Bay Tourism, in the 12 months to February 2020 (pre-Covid), tourism was worth $691.8 million to the local economy - only $164.8m of this was attributed to international tourists.

Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash says his ambition is that once global borders open, New Zealand will be considered by the most discerning travellers as one of the top three places in the world to visit. Photo / File
Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash says his ambition is that once global borders open, New Zealand will be considered by the most discerning travellers as one of the top three places in the world to visit. Photo / File

Nash also said there would be no "travel bubbles" until such arrangements were deemed safe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"My ambition is that once global borders open, New Zealand is considered by the world's most discerning travellers as one of the top three places in the world to visit," he said.

He said the Government had already offered up a $400m Tourism Recovery Package and almost $2b of wage subsidy support had gone to tourism operators.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer
Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

The changes are part of Hastings' early rollout of lower speed limits.

16 Jul 03:49 AM
Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning
Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

16 Jul 01:20 AM
Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital
Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital

15 Jul 11:58 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP