Dunedin to host Trenz for the first time

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull and TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts at TRENZ 2017. Photo/Supplied

New Zealand's biggest annual international tourism showcase Trenz will be held in Dunedin for the first time next year, Tourism Industry Aotearoa announced today.

Trenz 2017 is currently on at The Cloud and Shed 10 on Auckland's waterfront and was held in Rotorua in 2015 and 2016.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive Chris Roberts said they were delighted that Dunedin, in partnership with Southland and Waitaki, would be the host region for 2018, the first time Trenz has returned to the South Island since 2012.

"Trenz 2018 will bring up to 1200 international travel and tourism buyers, media and New Zealand tourism operators to Dunedin and will be one of the largest events for the city in the last decade.

"At what is traditionally a quiet time for local Dunedin tourism businesses, Trenz 2018 will inject several million dollars into the city's economy, including accommodation, transport, meals, functions and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent staging the event," he said.

Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull said today's announcement was a major coup for the
city and the wider region.

"As well as the direct economic benefit of hosting such a big event, Trenz 2018 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our world class tourism offerings to key global travel, trade and media influencers and allow them to experience all of it first-hand.

"This in turn has the potential to even further boost the already growing number
of international visitors to our city," he said.

Mr Cull said hosting Trenz 2018 also highlighted Dunedin's ability to successfully
deliver large scale business events and solidifies its position as one of New Zealand's top business event destinations.

Mr Roberts said the annual event had been run since the 1960s and 2018 would be
the first time Trenz was hosted outside of Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch or
Queenstown.

"Bringing Trenz to Dunedin in 2018 will lead to an unforgettable experience for international and New Zealand delegates and will help support the $35 billion tourism industry's goal of encouraging regional dispersal.

"The financial benefits of hosting Trenz can be felt for many years. The Buyers will discover first-hand how much Dunedin has to offer, which will help secure the city and the host regions' place on future travel itineraries."