Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Tania Tapsell: Rotorua Mayor on government injects 13.5 million into Tourism NZ

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Tania Tapsell: Rotorua Mayor on government injects 13.5 million into Tourism NZ · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Right now another tax payer tourism marketing blitz from Upston
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: and Luxeon, proudly announcing that yesterday thirteen point five million
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: dollars of ads will apparently get us an extra three
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: hundred million dollars in tourism spending. The advertising will target
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the Aussi's, Americans and the Chinese tiny tapsules that us
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: that have met with me this morning. Time you, good morning,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: good morning, Good to have you on the show. Do
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: you buy this? By the way, do you because we
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: had a blitz on Australia a couple of months ago,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: have you seen any evidence that that's worked.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Yes, Actually it's been quite fantastic for us. In Little Todo.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: We're a top tourism destination. But you know, we forget
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: that only a couple of years ago the borders were
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: closed and it takes some time to actually get the
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: visitors back. And I do appreciate that Australia, China and
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: North America are target areas as well. So I know
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: it seems quite extravagant that thirteen point five million will
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: get three hundred million dollars in spending, but we need
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: to remember tourism is very competitive and we are a
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: small country bottom of the world. This sort of investment
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: does make sure that we get our visitors into the country.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: I don't doubt you want it, but the question is
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: do you believe it?
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah? What, I've actually had the pleasure of meeting tours
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: and New Zealand stuff in both China and Australia during
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: recent visits. And actually, yeah, I do because even like
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: the Chinese visitors, their average spend is six thousand dollars
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: when they do come here. That's why they are a
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: target market for us. They're very high spenders. And so yeah,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: I do because actually a lot of these ads that
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: they see plants the seed for them to come to
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: New Zealand. But what we want to do is actually
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: create that action. And I'm quite excited for what these
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: additional investment and advertising will do for us.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, interesting. Mike is going to look at this
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: little later on in his program, Tania, what about I've
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: been reading the Rotter or Daily Post, great newspaper, the
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: story about bums on the main street, urinating, defecating, doing
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: drug stuff like that. That's hardly a good look for tourism,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: is it.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Nine. Unfortunately, this is something that's been experienced across the country.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: But actually, what we've discovered is there's different ways to
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: help people. So these people were choosing to sleep on
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: a certain street because they were getting free meals, they
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: were getting hot drinks, they were getting lots of things
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: dropped off to them. So actually, we need to make
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: sure that when we do help people in need, and
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: it's a way that's enabling them to actually make the
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: right correct because these people do have a choice to
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: go somewhere other than our streets.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Because the sallies were giving them free mile oh and
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: stuff like that. So you reckon they should stop that.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: Stop the handouts, well, just in an appropriate place because
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: camping out on a footpath in the middle of the
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: city is not an appropriate plate.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Not a good look for you, is that for Tanya?
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: Appreciate your time this morning. Tania tapsle as thea she's
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: buying it for more.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: From early edition with Ryan Bridge.
• 2:51
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• 2:55
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