The sessions were led by Angela Blair, Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager, International, along with General Managers Andrew Waddel (Australia), Sarah Handley (North America and Europe), and Gregg Wafelbakker (Asia), who provided on-the-ground market insights to the audience. 
 
“It was great to meet with such an engaged audience, committed to increasing year-round and off-peak arrivals to New Zealand,” Angela Blair said. “Promoting New Zealand’s off-peak seasons offers an excellent experience for visitors and supports the industry to operate more sustainably year-round. This can only be achieved through partnerships between operators, Regional Tourism Organisations, and Tourism New Zealand – so collaborating face-to-face is invaluable.”  
 
During the sessions, the team from Tourism New Zealand shared planned offshore activities and ways the industry can get involved. They discussed platforms and partnerships that operators can leverage to showcase their products to consumers and explored how TNZ, RTOs, and the industry can work together to grow off-peak arrivals and overcome challenges. The workshop resulted in key actions for each market, industry and TNZ to consider. 
 
Riwai Grace, Lead Guide and Owner at Āmiki Tours(opens in new window), participated in the Christchurch workshop. “The interactive workshop was a great opportunity to stay relevant, share our ideas and continue to collaborate across the sector,” he said. “Āmiki loved hearing that we are aligned with the vision to promote Aotearoa across all seasons. Operators from Kaitaia to Rakiura all have something to offer the world all year round.”  
 
TNZ’s four-year strategy aims to grow year-round visitation with a focus on the months between March and November, helping to double the value of New Zealand’s exports and growing tourism by $5 billion by 2028.