The Tourism New Zealand chief executive says Wanaka businesses should prioritise attracting the domestic market in order to survive financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to the Wanaka App at Cardrona last Friday (June 26) Stephen England-Hall said it was tough times for tourism but individual businesses could adapt by redefining their baseline, innovating and drawing in domestic tourists - which makes up around 58 per cent of the country’s tourism spend. 

“Really look around for opportunities, look at partnerships, collaborations and other ways you tell your brand story and draw people in,” Stephen said. 

The uncertainty around when international tourism would return meant hunkering down and focusing on Kiwis is crucial, he said. 

Stephen said there wasn’t a way to save every business, but there was opportunity and positivity to be found in reinventing tourism in the post COVID-19 environment.

“What was, was - and there really is no going back. One of the big opportunities and challenges for the sector is there is no back turn - it’s only from here forward,” he said.

“If you’re going to build your industry back up again let's do it in a way that’s more consistent with what we want to create and what benefits New Zealanders - and that’s really the big shift.”

Stephen said the fact that 58 per cent of New Zealand’s tourism spending pre-COVID was done by Kiwis, and that its volume was 60-65 per cent Kiwis, would be a surprise to many, but it created opportunities for businesses.

“The heart of the tourism industry are New Zealanders,” he said.

“Most Kiwis will find this summer without international tourists here it is still going to be really busy, and that’s because the biggest chunk of the tourism industry is us.”

Stephen was visiting Cardrona on its open day on Friday alongside prime minister Jacinda Ardern and tourism minister Kelvin Davis. Like Stephen, Jacinda urged Kiwis to “please visit your backyard”. 

Stephen acknowledged the news that the bungee company AJ Hackett had been given a grant of $5.1M and the opportunity for a loan of the same value by the government had left a sour taste in the mouths of other tourism businesses struggling to stay afloat. 

“As part of the rebuild of the sector you have to have a critical mass of supply in order for the system to even have a chance of reestablishing itself,” he said. “When you look at the supply side, you can’t save every business.”

Lake Wanaka Tourism board member and Wildwire owner Mark Morrison was also at Cardrona on Friday. 

He shared Stephen’s cautious optimism. 

“There’s a good understanding of where the tourism industry’s at, and a good understanding of the enormity of the situation,” Mark said. “But there’s also optimism about the positive aspects of the domestic market.”

At Wildwire, which has run a series of koha (by donation) climbs which many locals have taken part in, there was “a huge amount of positivity,” he said. 

More generally though, there was a real challenge in figuring out what the domestic market wanted.

Mark and Stephen concurred: the future of tourism should look different to the past and there was the opportunity to rebuild it better. 

“We absolutely don’t want tourism to go back to what it was.”

PHOTO: Wanaka App