Kia ora THE Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne, a totara has fallen in the great forest of Tāne. It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of George Hickton, Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive from 1999-2009 and tourism industry leader, earlier this month. George led the development of our now iconic 100% Pure New Zealand brand and was a well-respected figure in the tourism industry, active in many leadership roles right until his passing. Our thoughts are with his whānau and friends. ______________________________________________________ A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming our new Board members to the Tourism New Zealand whānau, with a whakatau in Wellington. Welcome Piers, Jonathan, Kevin, Jane and Chris. We're really fortunate to have such an engaged, passionate and skilled Board and I'm looking forward to working with them. ______________________________________________________
Internationally, our teams have all been busy at various trade shows and events. Earlier this month, our Business Events team and 14 New Zealand partners celebrated a successful showcase at the biggest ever IMEX America trade show in Las Vegas. The show welcomed over 17,000 participants, including 6,000 global buyers from the conference and incentive industry. Our team conducted over 60 one-on-one meetings and 35 group presentations, harnessing North American interest in New Zealand as a business events destination. The busy schedule included additional pre- and post-show sales calls with international events planners, participation in the show's education programme, and sponsorship of the show's Wellbeing Wheel as well as the SITE CEO Summit for senior incentive decision-makers. This is important activity for us, as business events contribute significantly to New Zealand's economy and attract visitors to regions throughout New Zealand all year round. After months of planning, we also hosted a productive and invigorating 3-day Kiwi Link UK and Europe event this month. With 59 sellers and 54 buyers, Kiwi Link delivered an incredible 3,186 meetings -- our largest turnout to date. I'm chuffed that early feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing renewed inspiration and plenty of refreshed input for product development to grow their New Zealand businesses. Thank you to all who attended. Kiwi Link USA has just wrapped up too and I'm looking forward to sharing some highlights with you next month. __________________________________________ We also held three China Ready workshops in Auckland, Christchurch and online over recent weeks. China is an important market for us and there is real potential for growth. Around 250,000 Chinese travellers visited New Zealand in the year to August 2025 -- 60% of pre-pandemic numbers, so there is plenty of opportunity to increase arrivals. From next month, New Zealand is trialling visa waiver status for Chinese passport holders travelling from Australia with a valid Australian visitor, work, student or family visa too, which will make it easier and cheaper for Chinese visitors to arrive on our shores. The China Ready workshops covered a range of topics including Chinese visitor expectations, how to work with trade partners, running campaigns, conducting sales calls, and leveraging Chinese social media platforms. We were fortunate to be joined by several industry speakers, including inbound tour operators who shared valuable perspectives on the evolving Chinese consumer and trade landscape, and practical advice on engaging with the travel trade. Trip.com discussed the growing influence of OTAs and how businesses can maximise their impact, while experts in digital Chinese payment services explained how these tools can help attract and convert Chinese travellers. Operators also presented case studies showcasing their success in the China market. Thank you to everyone who attended, I trust it was both insightful and inspiring! And hot off the press, we have just launched a new brand ambassador campaign with Chinese film star and celebrity Li Xian, to support visitor growth from China. The year-long partnership involves a series of engaging 'vlogs' and collaborations with Chinese social media and travel platforms, in an extension of our 100% Pure New Zealand brand campaign. See a snippet of the campaign here, and read more in the information box below.
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