Research part of tourism industry-wide stocktake

Last updated: April 2008

MEDIA STATEMENT

14 August 2006

Research released today provides important information on how tourism contributes to the New Zealand economy and how tourism businesses operate and perform, Minister of Tourism Damien O'Connor said.

The research is part of a wider programme to examine the yield contribution of the tourism sector and sets out findings that will help provide a solid foundation on which to base further strategic planning for the industry.

The key findings of the research include:

Tourism operators want to develop successful businesses as well as choosing the sector for lifestyle reasons. This challenges previous thinking that tourism has many lifestyle businesses that are not profit motivated.
Financial yields from many tourism businesses are above the New Zealand average performance for all industries, but overall the yield levels are relatively modest.
Tourism is made up of a range of diverse sectors (such as accommodation, transport and retail), which reflect different capital and labour requirements, business models and operator attitudes.

Damien O'Connor said the research, co-funded by the Tourism Industry Association, looked carefully at the business of tourism, how it is doing and what its drivers are, with a view to learning how we can do better in future.

"The fact that we are at the stage where we are asking these hard questions is reflective of tourism becoming a mature industry that is prepared to take a thorough look at itself with a view to preparing for the future."

"I look forward to these findings being used in a number of ways, including in the mid-term review of the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2010, as well as for other strategic work by the Ministry of Tourism and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise."

The three research reports and a paper entitled Tourism Business Research Summary Report which summarises the key findings are available from the Ministry of Tourism Research website: www.tourismresearch.govt.nz.

Contact:

Bruce Bassett, Ministry of Tourism, 04 498 7448

ENDS

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