Fast-growing tourism sector working to fill vacancies

GROWING INDUSTRY. Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas. Photo / File

New Zealand's rapidly growing tourism industry looks set for further growth, with a new report predicting more growth over the next 12 months.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa's latest State of the New Zealand Tourism Industry report, which surveyed 354 tourism operators from around the country, found that 62 per cent of tourism businesses believe their performance will improve over the next 12 months, with 74 per cent wanting to attract more high-value visitors.

"International visitor arrivals have increased in each of the last five years and we know the industry has been booming", TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said.

"It's pleasing to see that operators are expecting to build on the current positive business conditions.

"As the peak private sector organisation for the New Zealand tourism industry, TIA is actively working to address the challenges created by tourism's growth.

"We have a number of projects under way that bring tourism representatives together with central and local government to find solutions."

However, the survey revealed that tourism operators share the New Zealand public's concerns about the ability of our infrastructure to cope with growing visitor arrivals.

The Mood of the Nation survey, released by TIA and Tourism New Zealand last month, found New Zealanders were worried about the pressures tourism is placing on our infrastructure.

"In a highly competitive global tourism market, travellers have many destination options. Infrastructure is of strategic importance to our international competitiveness. Quality infrastructure is necessary for the industry to deliver a quality visitor experience."

Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said staffing levels during the high season were always an issue in Hawke's Bay, as it was in most NZ regions.

"Hawke's Bay has seen significant growth in terms of visitors arriving and this has meant we have seen a large number of new tourism businesses emerging – from tour guides starting up to new accommodation offerings.

"Existing tourism businesses are also investing heavily in new equipment and facilities – all on the back of the tourism growth they are seeing."