Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Sam Mackinnon: Hospitality New Zealand spokesperson on the international visitor spend increasing

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Sam Mackinnon: Hospitality New Zealand spokesperson on the international visitor spend increasing · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now here's the good news to us. Are back and
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: they're here to spend. An international visitor survey shows there
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: was a five percent increase of visitors over the last
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: year and their spending was up by four percent, as
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: pumping more than twelve billion dollars into the local economy.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: So I'm joined now by Sam McKinnon from Hospitality New Zealank.
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  Speaker 2: Moody, Sam, Thankkury Andrew.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: You'd be a happy camper.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, obviously we're pleased to see a listen
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: and spend and arrivals. It's all about things trending in
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  Speaker 2: the right direction for us. So yeah, positive to hear
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: that announcement yesterday.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: So is five percent enough or could we kick it out?
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Of course we'd love more. Hospitality is also very reliant
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: on the domestic market and we're seeing a list there
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: as well. But you know it's similar sort of number
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: of four percent Akland, five percent, well into the seven
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: percent in christ Church. But you know, we've come through
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: a really challenging period, so I guess seeing that there,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: seeing that things are trending upwards is a real positive
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: science for us.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, as you say, overseas tourism returning but the
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: domestic spends returning but maybe not enough is our real
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: problem at the moment that kewis are reluctant to open
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: their wallets in the current economic environment.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's definitely a contributing sector. I mean, hospitality is
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: definitely a discretionary spend and householder are struggling to cover
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: the cost that they've already got. So we're aware that
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: any spend that we're getting as a benefit at the moment.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: But I guess as we've started to see some of
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  Speaker 2: those increases and income for households around ocr cuts and
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: that sort of stuff, where I guess some of seeing
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: some of that confidence flow back into hospitality spend, which
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: is all positive science heading towards the summer trading period.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and as you would say to all Keywis, get
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: out there and see your country and spend spend spend.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, if you're able to get out and support hospitality.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Now, is this tourism uptick a bit more geographically targeted
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: than in the past, like pre COVID, like more and
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: more people just go into Queenstown.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: I think Queensland has seen a decent left in that spend.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: I mean, obviously it's our primary tourism hotspot in New Zealand. See,
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  Speaker 2: you'd expect that to be to see a good chunk
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: of that left and spend. I mean, I guess overall,
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: you know there's across New Zealand councilors are trying to
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: work through their destination management plans. Everyone's trying to get
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: a slice of the tourism pires. So as we see
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: that those numbers left, overall, we should see a bit
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: more of that regional dispersal come through.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Good stuff. Sam McKinnon, I thank you from Hospitality New Zealand.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: For more from Earlily Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: to news Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio