Editorial: Time to book a holiday closer to home?

Will you be getting an eyeful of Rere Falls instead of those tired old ruins in Europe this year? File photo / Trust Tairāwhiti

EDITORIAL

As tourists from overseas trickle off - staying put by choice or quarantine while the novel coronavirus fans out around the globe - one handy beneficiary could be our domestic tourism.

Yesterday, the World Health Organisation revealed for the first time, since the onset of symptoms of the first identified case of COVID-19 on December 8, 2019, there have been more new cases reported from countries outside of China than from China.

Already buffeted by the outbreak and slowdown in travellers, Air New Zealand is expected to lose up to $75 million. Having already halted flights to and from mainland China, the airline this week also suspended services to Seoul.

Meanwhile, our holidaying around New Zealand was already on the up before COVID-19 erupted.

Tourism Satellite Account figures released by Stats NZ at the end of last year showed total annual tourism spend had reached $40.9 billion, an increase of 4 per cent or $1.6b on 2018.

Local travellers were already well above the international contingent. Domestic visitors' spend was up by 3.3 per cent to $23.7b, compared with international visitors' spend increasing by 5.2 per cent to $17.2b. That should climb substantially as Kiwi families re-evaluate the risk of overseas flights and exposure to travellers from even further afield.

There are literally hundreds of thousands who need our support with 229,566 people directly, and another 163,713 indirectly, employed in tourism in New Zealand – 14.4 per cent of the total number of people employed in New Zealand.

"One in seven people in our workforce is now working directly or indirectly in tourism," says TIA chief executive Chris Roberts, noting the number had increased by 20,000 people in 2019.

Tourism is New Zealand's largest export earner, providing 20.4 per cent of New Zealand's total export receipts and makes a direct contribution of 5.8 per cent to GDP and a further indirect contribution of 4 per cent.

The Government - and, by default, us - are the largest direct beneficiaries from tourism. Annual GST receipts are $2b from domestic visitors and $1.8b from international visitors.

Air New Zealand has already fired some booster shots to the arm for nearby rest and recreation, partnering with Trust Tairāwhiti to inspire New Zealanders to visit the Tairāwhiti Gisborne region.

The month-long campaign "See Gisborne in a new light" kicked off yesterday, showcasing experiences in the region such as surfing, food and wine, mountain biking the Pakihi Track, exploring Rere Falls and cultural landmarks such as Maunga Hikurangi.

This followed Wednesday's announcement in a similar vein to attract visitors in the northern regions with an airline campaign paired with Bay of Islands Marketing Group and Northland Inc.

After years of criticism over its regional strategy, it could be that a global tragedy has woken Air New Zealand to the allures of our heartland.

Given the plunge in international visitors, tourism operators around the country will be keener than ever to welcome Kiwis and pricing should be competitive to reflect this.

Your country needs you. Here.