Grant Webster: Tourism Holdings CEO on tourist spending returning to pre-pandemic levels

A return to form for international tourist spending. 

Data shows it was up 60% to nearly $17 billion in the year to March 2024, just under pre-pandemic levels. 

Total industry expenditure crossed $44 billion – a near 15% rise on the year prior. 

Tourism Holdings Chief Executive Grant Webster told Andrew Dickens it was bound to happen. 

He says it's in people's DNA globally to want to explore, and New Zealand's an attractive destination, so they're coming. 

However, there are questions over whether our infrastructure is up to a tourism boom. 

Queenstown officials believe New Zealand's shift from seeking high-wealth visitors to mass tourism is unsustainable. 

But Webster told Dickens he’s pushing back. 

He says it's a very small point relative to a few locations, at a short time of the year. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Finally some good news for the tourism sector. The tourists
are back and they're spending the big bucks. New data
shows that international tourism expenditure was up fifty nine point
nine percent. They spent sixteen point nine billion dollars in
New Zealand. To give you some sort of comparison, in
twenty nineteen, it was seventeen point two billion, So it's
pretty much back there. The numbers are promising, and Tourism

(00:20):
Holding CEO Grant Webster joins me. Now, good morning to
your grant.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Good morning Andrew.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
So finally it's happened. What's causing the increase?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ah, this was the way it's going to happen. You know,
it's in our DNA on a global basis that we
want to get out and about and visit the world.
So people look at the opportunity and New Zealand to
an attractive destination. So that coming.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
So why is domestic tourism down?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Oh that's just a somewhat be the economy, but it's
the growth and outbound as well. So just like people
want to come here, is the number of New Zealanders
want to get back out overseas. So that's understandable.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
So how is the tourism industry reacting because it's a
people Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Look, I mean there's something like a fifteen percent increase
in the number of tourism businesses in that satellite account
information that came out yesterday as well. That's great. So
we're actually attracting more employment. People are seeing as an
opportunity to start their own business, and so I think
the industry is responding really really well. It's exciting.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Okay, now, Queen Sound Civic officials were in the news yesterday.
They're unhappy that the country has moved from high wealth tourists,
which was the labor thing, to what seems to be
mass tourism. Anyone who wants to come here, come on,
everyone must go. They say that approach is unsustainable without
a big infrastructure spend. Do they have a point.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
I think that it's a very small point that's relative
to a few locations at a very short time of
the year. Now, the reality is New Zealand's expensive. You know,
our total visiting numbers haven't got back to pre COVID,
but as you said in your opening, we're very close
to total spend, so we're inexpensive. This we're already getting
high value tourists. That's who comes. People who are sort

(02:05):
of masterism go to different destinations that are a lot cheaper.
So we're already getting high value tourists. And we've got
plenty of infrastructure throughout the country that can sustain really
good growth for a number of years to come. So
maybe there's some places at peak times of the year
that need some support and that will come.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
That'll come, okay, So what is the industry doing to
support this trend of improvement continuing? And how do you
feel about everyone must go?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Ah, So look, it's great to have any kind of
campaign that's going to support the winter tourism business, and
that's what that campaign's targeting. Australia's coming here over the
next short period. We've been bereafed of a good event
strategy for some time, so we haven't had any big
events since over winter, since the FIFA worldcame. So I

(02:54):
think that's all good. Let's let's go the tagline. Some
people love it, some people don't. Let's buy to buy.
The pointers were out there and we're asking for business
and so I think the industry's in behind tourism New
Zealand and wants to see them do well.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Grab we webisode. I Thank you for your time today.
Granted is the CEO of Tourism Holdings.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
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