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Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) has suggested Government involvement in helping develop new hotels in New Zealand, easing the way for developers to build the infrastructure necessary for the tourism boom.
In Dunedin, a $100 million waterfront hotel was refused resource consent in 2013, and another developer is going through the process for a development in Moray Pl.
At the same time, tourism keeps growing, with a 12.2% increase in the annual spend last year amid an identified need for more beds.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said hotel development had been traditionally left to the market in New Zealand.
''I think there is the case for better planning, some sort of central planning.''
Mr Roberts said he did not mean ''anything Soviet'', but some thinking about what was needed.
''For example, like Dunedin, should we be seeking general agreement on what is needed, and where it might be located, and what sort of facility the city needs?''
That information could be provided, and conflict ''that comes later'' avoided.
Research showed good quality visitor accommodation was needed across New Zealand.
Leaving the market to provide the beds needed could take five or six years, from the time an investor became interested to the time a hotel opened.
In Australia, sites were identified in a city and a package was put together to take to the market.
''We've never really been very good at doing that in New Zealand.''
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise last year launched Project Palace, an initiative to try to sell hotel projects to investors in Asia, the Middle East, the United States and Europe.
Mr Roberts said people had been brought to New Zealand to look into projects, but nothing had yet come of it.
''Maybe it's time ... to review how well, or not, that's working.
''Is there something else that needs to be added to the work they're doing to get those developments under way?''