New data shows tourism benefits to communities

New information released today will help highlight the value of the visitor industry to every community around the country, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) says.

The Regional Tourism Indicators (RTIs), produced by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), fill a major gap in tourism information and are welcomed by the industry, TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says.

“The first stage of the RTIs released today will help tourism operators in their business planning. They will be able to see more accurately which visitor markets are coming to their region, track whether the market mix is changing over time and identify growth markets.

“This will help them to develop products that meet the needs of new visitor markets.”

Today’s RTI release also includes more detailed information on the fast-growing China market.

“We can see, for example, that while Chinese visitors predominantly spent their time and money in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and Otago in the year ending October 2012, their footprint is expanding into other regions, such as the South Island’s West Coast and Southland,” says Mr Snedden.

“The RTIs also reveal that compared with other international visitors, the Chinese spent a significantly higher proportion of money in food retailing in the Bay of Plenty, including supermarkets and liquor stores, and other retailing in Auckland and Otago, such as department stores and electrical shops.”

MBIE is planning to make available the same detailed information for other key visitor markets next year.

“That data will expose some myths about visitors and where they are going and what they are spending. It will show that as well as typical tourism businesses such as accommodation, transport and activities, visitors support a wide range of other businesses including supermarkets, petrol stations, retail, restaurants and bars.”

The RTIs will play a crucial part in growing the tourism industry’s contribution to New Zealand’s economy, Mr Snedden says.

To view the Regional Tourism Indicators, go to http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/tourism/tourism-research-data/regional-tourism-indicators