Tourism industry working to ensure a sustainable future [RNZ, 14/01/20]

Tourism leaders say they’re putting in the hard yards to ensure a sustainable future for the industry – but there’s plenty of work to go.

The government unveiled its tourism strategy last May, signalling its plans to become more active in the country’s biggest export earner.

It earmarked four priority areas to tackle in 2019 – 2020 – better coordination of tourism, sustainable funding, improving destination planning and better data with sustainability as the cornerstone of its plan.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said sustainability was more than just a bit of jargon.Tourism Industry Aotearoa, chief executive, Chris Roberts

Chris Roberts. Photo: SUPPLIED – TIA

“In the last year or so, we’ve really seen the tourism industry embrace sustainability in its proper broad definition as something that has to be an absolute commitment of our industry,” Roberts said.

“We can’t ignore the need to leave New Zealand in a better place than we found it. We have to look after our environment, look after our communities, look after the visitor.”

Read this in full here.

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