More Funding To Grow International Tourism
The Government is increasing funding for attracting overseas visitors and investing in tourism infrastructure as part of its new Tourism Growth Roadmap, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says.
'We're investing $35 million to deliver the first stage of the Roadmap, which sets out the Government's plan to double the value of tourism,' Louise Upston says.
'International visitors bring billions of dollars into New Zealand, from big ticket spends to everyday purchases in local cafes and accommodation.
'We want to welcome more visitors to New Zealand, and we want our regional communities to improve their capacity to look after those visitors.
'The Government must work with industry to unlock the full potential of our tourism sector, and the Roadmap lays out initiatives and investments to ensure our infrastructure, workforce and communities can support further growth.
'For the 2025/26 financial year, we're investing $6 million in international marketing across emerging tourism markets, $3 million to increase the number of business events hosted in New Zealand, and an additional $5 million towards the Major Events Fund.
'These commitments follow the recent announcements of $13.5 million invested in international tourism marketing and $4 million of investment towards improving the visitor experience along the Milford Road corridor.
'Recent tourism funding has been about boosting visitor numbers. As those higher numbers become established, the Roadmap will shift over time to focus more on supporting communities to look after them well,' Louise Upston says.
This investment comes from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. This levy is charged to most international visitors, and ensures they are contributing to the public services, facilities and natural environment they will enjoy while in New Zealand.
More information can be found on the MBIE website from 6pm.
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A local pensioner, who did not want to be named, told Cook Islands News that he has returned to work in retirement because his current superannuation pension of $197 a fortnight is not enough to cover basic living costs. "I get $400 a month without tax, which is like $197 a fortnight, and that's not enough to survive, especially with inflation and all. So now I'm working again at retirement to get enough money to survive," the pensioner said. He also shared his frustration about not being able to access his full retirement savings when he chose to move overseas. "I went to withdraw because I wanted to leave the Cook Islands, but when I moved overseas, the receptionist told me we won't get the whole amount," he said. The pensioner claimed that when the National Superannuation Fund was first introduced and consulted in 2000, people were under the impression that they would be able to withdraw all their contributions upon retirement or when leaving the country permanently. 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