Former Auckland International Airport chief executive Simon Moutter has held up the proposed Fiordland Link Experience as an example of an "ambitious, privately funded tourism project" New Zealand needs to consider.
Mr Moutter, now Telecom chief executive, said it was "vital" for New Zealand to keep developing world-class tourism initiatives to retain the country's status as a leading tourism destination and he is calling for the public to support ambitious new projects.
"The tourism sector and the jobs it sustains depend on ongoing investment.
"Tourism is a highly competitive industry, and New Zealand's competitors are constantly refining and improving the product they offer visitors.
"If we want to remain competitive as a destination we have to be bold and we have to adapt to the changing world.
"Every year that we fail to adapt what we offer the international visitor market to meet their ever-changing needs is another year we fall behind," Mr Moutter said.
Riverstone Holdings Ltd is behind the proposed Fiordland Link Experience which, if approved by the Department of Conservation, will include the longest monorail journey in the world.
Mr Moutter believed it was the type of product which would be "attractive to the high-value, shorter-stay new markets that will be vital to New Zealand's tourism future".
"The great thing is that there are a number of New Zealanders who recognise that the changing trends in global travel represent great opportunities for the country, and who are prepared to invest their own money to develop premium tourism products that will help us make the most of those.
"I hope the public recognise the potential benefits of new tourism ventures, because a lot of jobs will depend on that tourism sector investment.
"Almost one in nine New Zealanders works in the tourism sector.
"If we want to sustain those jobs, let alone grow them, we have to welcome ongoing investment and ambitious projects in the sector.
"Let's support those who are prepared to invest in our second-largest industry," he said.
The Fiordland Link Experience is one of two private proposals being considered by Doc for concession applications, the other being Milford Dart Ltd's Dart Passage Tunnel.
Submissions on both proposals were heard in Queenstown and Te Anau earlier this year. Reports are still being prepared for the Doc decision-maker, Sue Cosford, to consider.
