$54m funding pot to transform tourism

The Government has created a $54 million fund for tourism projects that are sustainable, low carbon, and will develop high skills and high wages.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said yesterday that the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery aimed to support unique and transformative ideas to improve the tourism sector.

The projects needed to make a real difference to a visitor’s trip to Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme had two strands. The first smaller-scale stream would co-fund up to $25,000 for ideas that were still at a fairly early stage and might need more work to fully develop.

The second strand would co-fund between $100,000 and $10m for projects that were ready to be delivered.

‘‘Covid was a difficult time for the industry even with our support through the $400 million Tourism Recovery Package, and $200 million Tourism Communities Plan,’’ Nash said.

International visitor spending was recovering, with international electronic card transaction spend at 88% compared with 2019, and summer just kicking off, he said.

The programme aimed to fund projects that reduced carbon emissions resulting from tourism, or had a positive impact on the climate; enhanced the country’s natural environment and biodiversity; improved the resilience of tourism; lifted productivity of the sector through technology; and promoted and protected taonga Māori if it was led or delivered by Māori.

Ideas from outside the sector that could help transform tourism were also encouraged. Stream one projects are open from November 10 until May 3, 2023, or until the funding is exhausted, whichever comes first. Stream two will be split between three funding rounds, in February, June and October, and will close for applications on October 31, 2023.

Applicants will co-fund at least 50 per cent of the project costs, although stream two projects may get up to 75% of cofunding from the Government if they can show a significant positive benefit.