More than 100 people turned up to hear Mr Key address members of the Tourism Industry Association at Queenstown's Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday at lunchtime when he announced his personal commitment to the industry by taking on the tourism portfolio.
Tourism Industry Association New Zealand chief executive Tim Cossar said Mr Key's commitment was a timely backing for the multibillion-dollar industry, which on average delivered $24 million in foreign exchange to New Zealand's economy every day.
Increased support for tourism was vital as the industry faced the challenges of the global financial situation, Mr Cossar said.
Acting chief executive of Destination Queenstown Graham Budd also welcomed the prospect of having the "No 1" person in Cabinet as the minister of tourism, a move he said the industry had asked for.
"Potentially we would also have the minister of finance in our electorate," Mr Budd said, referring to Clutha-Southland MP and deputy National Party leader Bill English.
"Having the No 1 and No 2 guys in our camp, from a destination and industry-wide point of view, would be a huge advantage," Mr Budd added.
He also called for more money and a definite financial commitment to the industry.
Over the Top Queenstown helicopter company owner Louisa Patterson asked how Mr Key's commitment to reforming the Resource Management Act would benefit the tourism industry, with some changes promised within the first 100 days of office.
Mr Key said reforming the RMA and "streamlining" the consent process by implementing national environmental standards, in a similar way to Scandinavian countries, could ensure a higher benchmark while still allowing "appropriate" development.
Such streamlining would include more call-ins by the government of infrastructure projects of national significance, Mr Key later told the Otago Daily Times.
This could mean state highway projects, but not necessarily wind farms.
"The success of Queenstown, in my view, is to preserve the best about it, the beautiful landscape, but ensuring the [resource consent ] process is more user-friendly."
After lunch Mr Key walked about in the resort, but had difficulty finding anyone greatly interested in his views on the RMA, or on any other policies.
Most of those Mr Key attempted to engage with as a potential voters were tourists, many of whom had no idea who he was.
He finally met businessman Blair Payne, of Queenstown Charters, who was undecided about his vote: "I'm waiting to see who's going to give us the most - the small business person."
Manager of Queenstown's waterfront restaurant Pier 19 Tom Macaulay said, after meeting him, that Mr Key definitely had his vote.
