Time to plan for tourism after virus scare abates
It may feel like you are locked down forever, but at some stage the Government will allow us to travel again — once this Covid-19 scare has finally abated. Kiwis will be desperate to move out of isolation.
Many people, after weeks at home without an income, will have spent any money they had, and will be trying to refill their piggy bank. The numbers of people able to afford any travel will have dwindled, but for those who still have some ability to travel, getting around their own country will be a desirable activity to put the virus behind them.
What better time to be working on a local travel promotion than during this lockdown period? A domestic marketing plan must be developed over the next two months and then rolled out once light is seen near the end of this tunnel. Not only is promotion needed to motivate Kiwis to begin travelling again, but also to reinvigorate tourism operators — those thousands of little businesses currently closed — to prepare to host visitors again.
Over the past few years the elephant in the NZ tourism room has been the accelerating over-stressing of NZ’s environment. What sort of visitors do we want? Is it just bums in jetboat seats, or is it people who will add value while enjoying our country and our people?
Should we accept just a few wealthy individuals who can pour a lot of money into exclusive resorts — or do we support the Kiwi ethos that everyone should be able to enjoy our country no matter the amount of money they can spend? Do we really want campervans without toilets or with silly little toilets they cannot and do not use? And, as for freedom campers?
Remote working will become entrenched in our system, so there will be less business travel, fewer hotel rooms, fewer restaurants and cafes.
Add the “carbon footprint” issue that had already begun to dog long-haul flights.
Will companies continue travelling here to attend conferences? Is it a good idea for every NZ city to have a conference facility? Has Wellington thought through the need for its underconstruction conference centre?
I’m guessing virtual reality tourism will become a major industry within a few years, enabled by 5G: visit NZ without leaving home.
For some time, New Zealand has needed an organisation to manage Kiwis and overseas visitors once they are within NZ.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) is the umbrella organisation representing tourism operators within NZ and does that well.
TIA works with its members’ interests in mind, so it is not the ideal body to take this inside-NZ marketing role; but it is the only organisation that exists and must, of course, be involved.
This new organisation would would manage the visitor numbers to spread them around the regions, manage the provision of public facilities and to educate on road safety, cleanliness, etc.
What better use for the Regional Development Fund? Tourism provides great first-entry jobs for the regions.
There is an immediate need for, and an opportune downtime, to set up such a body. And it will, of course, need funding: I suggest seed funding from the Provincial Growth Fund followed by an application for government funding similar to TNZ.
Tourism NZ markets the country internationally and does it very well.
I’m sure TNZ is thinking along similar lines. Airlines — those remaining after this commercial disaster, and some minor new ones maybe — will be vying to get planes back in the air and they will probably be offering deals to re-introduce overseas tourists to NZ long-haul, but this will take time to introduce products and fill planes.
Let’s concentrate on getting Kiwis out into their backyard.