New Zealand's tourism sector has exceeded forecasts by hitting an expected $32.5billion of tourist spending in the year to March, but getting visitors out of hot-spots like Queenstown to visit further afield is proving difficult.
The three-day Tourism Industry Association's (TIA) annual Trenz conference opened yesterday in Rotorua, with overseas tourism buyers meeting operators from across New Zealand.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts released a report on the industry's tourism strategy, Tourism 2025, which had a goal of increasing tourism revenue to $41billion in 2025.
Two years into that strategy, revenue had risen from $27billion to $32.5billion, more than the growth rate required to reach the goal.
The value of the visitor economy had also grown. Arrivals in the country were up 9.6% last year and visitor spending rose 31%.
In the two years, total international arrivals were up 15.6%, hotel revenue per room was up 23.3%, and guest nights up 10.7%
But Mr Roberts said along with trying to attract tourists in off-peak times, "dispersal'' - getting tourists to visit regions outside major tourist hotspots - was an issue.
There was no evidence of dispersal in the last two years.
Improving the spread of tourism across the country would ensure all regions benefited, as well as taking the pressure off popular destinations such as Queenstown, where "the strain is going to come'' in summer.
"We could take another million visitors tomorrow, if they are dispersed around the country,'' Mr Roberts said.
Tourists would always want to go to places like Queenstown, in the same way New Zealanders visiting France would want to go to Paris.
"Maybe it's on a second visit or a third visit we would get them to another part of the country.
"In some places its a matter of do we have sufficient international-ready product?''
He said it was up to regions, in collaboration with organisations such as Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand, to develop their tourism potential.
In Invercargill, for instance, there were new products, such as Bill Richardson Transport World.
Mr Roberts also said local councils needed to speed up planning and investment in tourism infrastructure.
