Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) has launched a refreshed version of its ‘Tourism 2050 – A Blueprint for Impact’ strategy, which sets out the choices New Zealand needs to make today to achieve the tourism future it wants in 2050.
The strategy was launched today at 2025’s Supreme Tourism Award Winner - Te Puia in Rotorua, with over 80 TIA members in attendance.
TIA Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram says the next 25 years of tourism success will depend on decisions being made now.
“Tourism 2050 is a blueprint for how New Zealand can maximise the economic, community and environmental benefits of tourism between now and 2050,” says Ingram.
"Tourism 2050 is ultimately about choice. It asks what kind of tourism future New Zealand wants to create and identifies the actions needed to get there. The industry has done the work to define that vision. We now need to work together to deliver it.”
“There’s been a lot of discussion this week around bed taxes; tourism 2050 tackles head-on tourism funding as a key and pressing action, recognising the essential role of local government in tourism, and the tools they need to develop and manage tourism at place.
“It’s essential that we can explore different national funding options for tourism in New Zealand – a national accommodation levy is one such option.
“We also believe the international visitor levy (IVL) needs to be leveraged to address tourism pressures and invest in tourism development in our cities, regions and communities.”
Ingram says that the refresh comes at a pivotal time, following a period where the tourism landscape has experienced significant shifts – from AI implications to climate change and ever-increasing competition from other destinations.
“Tourism has had a strong year and there is real momentum across the industry. Maintaining our position as a destination of choice requires long term planning, investment and a commitment to continuous improvement.” Tourism has an opportunity to contribute significantly to New Zealand’s prosperity with the right settings in place.
