Dunedin has this week been the focal point of about 1500 tourism industry representatives, including hundreds of overseas visitors.
The city this week hosted the four-day Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Trenz event, and feedback has been encouraging.
It has been estimated that the group at the event contributed about $2 million to the Dunedin economy, just by attending.
Tourism is a major generator of foreign exchange income for New Zealand and is one of the top industries contributing to the country’s overseas growth. It is worth about $36 billion a year. It competes with dairy and the meat industry for the position as this country’s largest generator of money. Within the south of the South Island, Queenstown and Wanaka rule supreme for attracting visitor numbers. Te Anau and Milford Sound are also regarded as premium attractions.
Dunedin has wildlife as a drawcard, along with heritage buildings. It is also a more relaxed centre for visitors. But it is not on a par for numbers with the likes of Queenstown, Rotorua, Auckland or even Christchurch which has direct flights from Asia, in particular.Increased tourism numbers have not come without some pain for regional authorities which must battle to provide services for visitors to their region. Toilet facilities are top of the list for many areas now dealing with freedom campers. Many camper vans contain toilet and shower facilities. But most of the smaller hire vehicles favoured by younger tourists do not.
They rely on public facilities.
Who pays for these facilities has been a point of contention which is yet unresolved.Dunedin put on a royal show for Trenz attendees. Even the weather co-operated. The warm temperatures ranged to as high as 22degC. Most people know from experience that settled and pleasant weather makes any holiday or trip more enjoyable and it is hoped Dunedin’s bout of autumnal weather impressed.
New Zealand Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis spoke at Trenz, calling tourism an "economic bedrock" which employs hundreds of thousands of people. According to the minister, 96% of Kiwis believe international tourism is good for New Zealand. That said, many Kiwis still question the capacity to sustain tourism growth.
Visitor numbers are forecast to increase by 37% to reach 5.1million by 2024, and Mr Davis is all for it.
Government, councils and the industry have work to do. It is important work, he says, and it will happen.
One of the problems facing tourism in New Zealand is the peak seasons are just too full. There has been talk, generally, about shoulder seasons, between the summer tourists and those attracted to New Zealand’s top skifields.
The shoulder seasons have become much smaller and Mr Davis acknowledges the problem by saying there needs to be a flow of high-value international tourists throughout the year from a wide range of markets.
He wants visitors to go away raving about their New Zealand experience, about the tourism sector, and about the environmental, social and economic successes.
It is more likely some visitors will leave complaining about being cramped into large groups all wanting to see the same thing at the same time. There is no fun in that, as any tourist from New Zealand will say after visiting large cities around the world. Everyone is looking for a unique experience, one to treasure. Seeing the native bush full of toilet paper is not going to cut it. Overcrowding, and the resulting environmental problems are the opposite of how New Zealand sees itself as a destination.
Trenz is about selling New Zealand as a destination, and it has been adjudged a success for the city and co-hosts Waitaki and Southland. Each of about a quarter of the buyers at Trenz sends more than 5000 visitors to New Zealand each year.
This is encouraging for such an important part of the New Zealand economy. These visitors must have an experience to cherish.
