NZ Tourism Minister and Air New Zealand CEO spat!
New Zealand Tourism Minister Damien O’Connor responded strongly this morning, defending the NZ Government’s investment in the industry following strident criticism yesterday by the chief executive of Air New Zealand, Rob Fyfe.
Mr Fyfe’s comments included that he considered that the NZ Government was not pulling its weight in attracting visitors and he made critical comparisons between the growth in visitor numbers in New Zealand and that of the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Fyfe slammed the government’s investment in tourism, saying it is barely keeping pace with the increased cost of promotion in NZ’s key markets and that New Zealand’s efforts to grow tourism are akin to running up the white flag and saying we can not, or will not, compete with other countries.
In comparing New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates he said that in 1990 they both received similar numbers of tourists, adding that by 2003 visitor numbers to the UAE had risen 600 percent, but in New Zealand the growth was just over 100 percent.
Mr Fyfe says his biggest concern is that while Air New Zealand is furiously improving its performance, the infrastructure available for visitors to New Zealand is anything but world class.
Report by The Mole
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025