Working together We need an integrated and strategic rethink of our approach to tourism management. Government activity is still focused on getting more people into the country, with little concern for the quality of products and service in the tourism sector. We are spending all our tourism dollars on industry promotion, with virtually no analysis of the effects this is having. We need both a strategic overview and support for small communities and agencies such as DOC and the Historic Places Trust, which have to deal with the visitors when they reach their destination. Most fundamentally, tourism development needs to be linked to the promotion of New Zealand culture both here and overseas.
Tourism needs to be based on pride in our identity and mutual respect between visitors and hosts.
Greater strategic communication is needed at the national level in tourism. There is also a need for public and community input into tourism planning. This strategy would build on the progress already made through the Foresight process and the work by the Tourism Industry Association. Fund the gathering of tourism statistics and research into tourism, particularly domestic, as part of our commitment to improving our national accounts. Domestic tourism is already a very important industry.