Tourism firms eager to sell 'vibrant' NZ

Keeping New Zealand's $20 billion tourism industry at the top of the minds of international travel buyers will be the focus of several hundred tourism businesses convening in Auckland this week.

The annual tourism trade fair Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand kicked off yesterday at the ASB Showgrounds and will bring travel buyers from around the world to New Zealand to meet with local businesses.

Tim Cossar, chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association which organises the event, said it was important for New Zealand to show its tourism industry remained vibrant and fresh even in the challenging times.

"Tourism is a fundamental contributor to New Zealand's economy and way of life. It delivers $24 million in foreign exchange to our economy every day and supports the jobs of one in 10 New Zealanders.

"In these challenging economic times, we need to do all we can to support this important sector," he said.

But the event has not been immune to the tougher climate. The number of businesses attending the event is down from 290 to 270.

Cossar said some South Island business had decided not to come to Auckland because of the distance and others had cited the recession. But the recent swine flu scare had not resulted in any last minute cancellations which the association had been expecting.

"We thought there might be a last minute flurry of people not coming but that didn't happen."

Some international buyers had also decided not to come, dropping around 15 per cent on last year to 260.

Fewer sellers and buyers would mean each had more time to spend talking to each other.

Cossar said a key worry for most tourism businesses was that New Zealand kept its share of the international visitor market.