Source / Wikipedia.
The chair of Tainui Waka Tourism says that COVID-19 has devastated the industry. Chairwoman Lee Ann Muntz pulled no punches when explaining the situation to Tapatahi this morning.
“We’re in a survival mode. We need to focus on survival at the moment. So Māori tourism operators are ready for when the market comes back," Muntz says.
However Muntz tempered her comments with optimism and pointed out potential solutions.
“It is a very challenging time, but we will get through it. It’s a good time to go through R&D and look at developing new experiences and attractions," Muntz says.
Chairwoman Muntz pointed out how new attractions and experiences would help the industry recover in the future.
“There’s a need to disperse some of the visitor flows to the other regions by developing these new experiences and attractions. It’s about value and not so much the numbers.”
Spreading tourists around the country, Muntz says would reduce the environmental impact of mass tourism.
The Trans-Tasman bubble, in Muntz's view, is the first step to revitalising the industry. Already Tainui rohe has seen job cuts, and so urgent action is needed to prevent more.
“The Rangiriri Café has closed shop. So there’s already job loss there. They (Australia) have a population of 25 million. We have approximately one and a half million visitors come here. They are a repeat market as well.”
Muntz says that tourism is heavily dependent on visitors from overseas and Australia is our largest source. To help with the recovery, Muntz wants Māori to be at the decision making table so that decisions can be made in the industry's favour.