Going for growth – Minister for Tourism Louise Upston
Minister for Tourism Louise Upston on the Government’s ambitious plans to grow tourism, and New Zealand’s economy.
By Naomii Seah, AccomNews writer, reporting from TRENZ 2025
“My view is that tourism can go back to number one in terms of export earning, and that’s my aspiration.” Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston declared this ambition at TRENZ 2025 in Rotorua to raucous applause from the room.
New Zealand’s top export is currently agriculture. Tourism is New Zealand’s second largest export, with expenditure in the year ending March 2024 reaching $44.4 billion. The government has declared a target of doubling tourism exports in 10 years, by 2034.
The strategy
Ms Upston has said her first priority will be growing international tourism. Her aim is to double the value of tourism exports by 2034. She also wants to increase the number of New Zealanders working in tourism and hospitality to support National’s wider bid to grow our economy.
“Tourism will play a key role in this Government’s focus on economic growth – more tourists means more people staying in our hotels, eating in our cafes, spending in our shops and visiting our attractions, creating jobs and driving higher wages for New Zealanders.”
To grow, Ms Upston said New Zealand should be “agnostic” about the visitors we attract.
Speaking at the TRENZ 2025 tourism briefing, Ms Upston called on the sector to “embrace anyone from anywhere at anytime.
“We should be clear about being open for business and welcoming every visitor equally.”
This message was underscored by the announcement that the government would remove translation certification requirements for visa applications. It’s hoped this move will stimulate key markets like China, which have been slow to recover following the pandemic.
This aggressive growth strategy for tourism has been backed up by funding boosts such as the recently launched Tourism Boost package, worth $20.4 million. The money will be used to invest in “a range of demand-focused activities” to increase international visitation in the short-term.
Ms Upston says in the coming weeks she will launch a Tourism Growth Roadmap.
“The Roadmap provides the second step towards the Government’s goal of doubling New Zealand’s exports by 2034.”
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