TRENZ 2023: What is the current state of play for the NZ travel industry?

TRENZ 2023: What is the current state of play for the NZ travel industry?
By James Harrison


Over 1000 attendees have come together at the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre for the annual TRENZ conference this week to look at the future of New Zealand tourism.

Taking place in Christchurch for the first time since 2006, TRENZ has brought together a wide variety of airlines, wholesalers, tour operators, agencies, and much more to connect with the Kiwi and international travel industry.

The convention is managed by Tourism Industry Aoteara (TIA) as the authorised agent of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust, with the support of Tourism New Zealand and in partnership with Air New Zealand.

While buyers and sellers spent the morning together to catch up and connect, media attendees listened to an array of talks from Kiwi industry experts who shed light on their respective aspects of travel and where they are currently positioned.

Among those included Rebecca Ingram, the CEO of TIA, who told attendees how the New Zealand travel industry was positioned post-pandemic.

“It is a pivotal time for the regeneration of our industry,” Ingram told attendees before quickly moving on to the hard figures.

“International visitor arrivals over the past few months are sitting at around 66 per cent of pre-COVID levels. The very strong initial recovery has plateaued, which is not unexpected.

“Holiday arrivals are about 40 per cent of pre-covid levels for the year ending February 2023.”

She went on to tell attendees that the holiday market, which is key for getting around the country, doing activities and enjoying hospitality, has recovered more slowly than the visiting friends and family market. This comes as the sweeping surge of revenge travel subsided in New Zealand, as it did around most places across the globe.

While the overall recovery was encouraging, Ingram continued to tell attendees that the recovery of tourism across New Zealand has not been homogenous.

“27 per cent of tourism respondents in our most recent survey say that their summer capacity was operating at more than 100 per cent of 2019 levels, with 22 per cent sitting at 76-90 per cent,” she said.

“Workforce recovery has been a challenge, our most recent survey reveals that 56 per cent of tourism business are recruiting still but this is down from 75 per cent late last year which shows good progress, but also signals that many businesses are altering their offering to fit their new workforce levels.”

Ingram went on to highlight the reality facing the NZ travel industry – and every country’s travel industry – that the future of tourism will not look like tourism in the past.

Rebecca Ingram addressing media this morning

“The DNA of the industry is forever changed because of COVID, and it’s my view that New Zealand is uniquely well positioned to deliver a new generation of tourism. Tourism for good, tourism with net positive impact,” she explained.

Ingram emphasised the importance of regenerative tourism for the NZ market as the needs and wants of travellers changes. To foster this, Destination Management Plans (DMP) have been implemented across New Zealand to cater to region-specific wishes, assets, and investment needs and have resulted in 30 DMPs across the country.

She also touched on the Aroha of Tourism campaign which brings to life the very real effect tourism has on the communities it operates in, and TIAs work in encouraging sustainability among tour operators.

Capping off her talk, Ingram discussed the importance of the TRENZ conference itself in highlighting these developments in the NZ travel industry and fostering connections in the industry.

“We hold TRENZ for the very simple reason that we need to gather in one place to show international buyers what New Zealand tourism businesses and regional tourism operators have to offer – and how that is changing to meet the evolving demands of would-be visitors,” she said.

“It’s that simple in theory – bring buyers and sellers together, schedule a whole bunch of appointments for them, and watch the business get done.”

Keep an eye out for more on TRENZ and what else is revealed as the week progresses.

Featured Image: Rebecca Ingram, chief executive Tourism Industry Aoteara, speaking at TRENZ (LinkedIn/TRENZ)

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