Quakes, high Aussie dollar tough on tourism
Ongoing instability in Christchurch coupled with the high Australian dollar is making life difficult for the New Zealand tourism industry.
Ongoing instability in Christchurch coupled with the high Australian dollar is making life difficult for the New Zealand tourism industry.
Fronting up to a parliamentary commerce committee this morning, Associate Tourism Minister Jonathan Coleman said it had been a turbulent year for the sector, starting strongly with the highest-ever visitor levels, then being hit by the Christchurch earthquakes.
Both the actual effects on Christchurch, as well as the perception that the entire country was affected by the disaster had a major impact on the sector, he said.
"The key problem is getting tourists to actually come into Christchurch at the moment, it's pretty difficult because the attractions are closed," Dr Coleman said.
"We're only going to get it ahead by moving to a situation where Christchurch is rebuilt, the aftershocks stop, it's stable, and who knows when that'll be because obviously it's moving all the time unfortunately."
Work was continuing to correct the overseas perception that the whole of New Zealand had suffered as a result of the earthquakes, and to push the idea that the country was safe to visit.
The overall tourism picture had not been helped by the high dollar across the Tasman, Dr Coleman said.
"People are getting the opportunity to have a once-in-a-lifetime trip to places which may have previously been out of their reach," he said.
"The competition has got tougher as it's become cheaper -- Aussies taxi drivers taking their kids to Disneyland, that's what's happening -- so we can't pretend it's not a competitive situation."
Labour MP David Parker questioned the resources that had been put into attracting Australian tourism.
"Given that Australia is your most significant market, they're one of the more prosperous countries in the world at the moment, you're suffering a decline in tourism ... wasn't there a case for doing more in the Australian market?"
Dr Coleman said there had been no decrease in the emphasis on the Australian market.
NZPA
Thu, 16 Jun 2011
Thu, 16 Jun 2011
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Quakes, high Aussie dollar tough on tourism
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