What is the tourist attraction that impressed you the most during your travels, and why?
In May we visited the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct in southern France. It is the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, and one of the best preserved and was added to Unesco's list of World Heritage sites in 1985 because of its historical importance.
In 2000, they built a new visitor centre, removed traffic and buildings from the bridge and the immediate vicinity. The infrastructure they have created is amazing, with extensive car parking, toilet facilities, museum and education centre, restaurants and shops, informational signage, pristine pathways, disabled access, health and safety features, unprecedented access and not least exceptional views.
An adult entry pass was 8.50 Euro, which also covered the cost of parking (a nice touch). Everything was done so well and so professionally that you did not begrudge the entry fee.
How do we balance the way we ensure access to places and attractions but also increase the number of pay-to-play venues and attractions?
This is always going to be a tricky question, how to get a balance.
There is little doubt that people appreciate free access to sights and attractions which can help keep the cost of a holiday down, which can be especially pertinent to families. Napier City Council is on the right track with its Marine Parade revitalisation. Here you find a good balance between free amenities such as the cycle and walkways, family BBQ areas, manicured gardens, toilet facilities, and ocean viewing platform and attractions with entry fees such as the National Aquarium, Bay Skate Park, Par 2 Golf and Ocean Spa complex.
I also think that there is an element of people not always appreciating or, more to the point, valuing what is free. If you have to pay for something and make an either or choice, especially if that attraction lives up to expectations you are left with a "feel-good" feeling. If people see a clear link with their entry fee and the amenities made available and the fee is reasonable they will be satisfied and will recommend to others.
Are you confident Hawke's Bay is ensuring its fair (or more than fair) share of both domestic and international visitors?
Annie Dundas and her team at Hawke's Bay Tourism work hard throughout the year promoting and selling our region. They are adept at delivering a multiplier effect to increase their Hawke's Bay Regional Council funding largely through Events Management (FAWC!, The Big Easy and the Hawke's Bay Marathon are prime examples), Sponsorship and Industry Contributions (in cash through membership levies and in kind through donated and discounted services). This is then applied to deliver regional marketing with the specific aim of increasing visitor numbers to Hawke's Bay.
A measure of their success is that for the year ended June 2018, annual expenditure on tourism for Hawke's Bay increased to $639m. This represents year-to-year growth of 5% (source: Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment). Experience has shown us though the moment that you scale back regional marketing you have an immediate and adverse effect on visitor numbers and visitor spend.
Do you consider the need to attract and train more staff for the hospitality sector as both the biggest challenge and need for tourism?
For many young people in New Zealand hospitality is not regarded as a profession, this combined with unsociable hours and relatively poor rates of remuneration make it difficult for the industry to attract recruits. Supply of accommodation for workers also compounds the problem.
So yes, this is a challenge for the industry.
In our own business we rely on seasonal workers with work visas to fill the gap, because, to put it simply, there just are not enough local people willing, able and trained to work. Training is clearly part of the solution. However, attitudes need to change.
The key is to make hospitality training a preferred option rather than a default choice. As with any industry, once you have done your apprenticeship and learned the ropes there are many management and career opportunities.
Supply and demand is playing its part, too; hospitality operators are competing to attract and retain staff which puts upward pressure on wage rates. Various changes to legislation will also have their impact, examples such as removing the 90-day trial period and tightening of immigration and visa requirements will compound the issues for an industry struggling to find employees.
