Tourism New Zealand is embarking on a marketing strategy to spread
its visitation across the entire year and away from the peak summer
season.
René de Monchy, chief executive, Tourism New Zealand, said, “What I
hear over again is the impact of seasonal visitation. Visitor arrivals
are returning to old patterns of peaking in summer, and without
intervention peak visitation is likely to grow faster than off-peak.”
De Monchy said seasonal peaks and troughs result in the sector
struggling to operate productively year-round “with jobs that aren’t
secure, unused assets and airline connectivity falling in the off-peak”.
In what could become a blueprint for other destinations seeking to
regulate tourism numbers at peak times, TNZ has set a goal of growing
international tourism by NZ$5 billion (US$3bn) over the next four years,
with 70% of that coming from visitors in the off-peak.
“For the next four years our focus will be on promoting New Zealand as a year-round destination and growing off-peak arrivals.
“My hope is that in four years’ time, our communities can offer
steady employment to their people through a thriving tourism sector,
businesses can turn a profit in every season, there are more flights,
and that New Zealand is a desirable, available, and loved destination
year-round,” de Monchy added.