|
Refining and improving the quality of information is vital to the ongoing sustainability and growth of the tourism industry - that’s the view of the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIANZ).
“The release by the Tourism Research Council New Zealand (TRCNZ) of the latest International Visitor Survey which has been subject to improved methodology and rigorous refinement provides the building blocks of information critical to the sector’s success.” says TIANZ.
Figures show international visitors contributed $6.4 billion dollars to the New Zealand economy last (calendar) year - an increase of 3.9% on the previous year. While this and similar headline figures are of great importance to the whole community where one in ten people are employed in tourism, the information is of even greater importance to those operators at the coal face of this dynamic industry.
The TRCNZ has followed an excellent process involving and informing key industry stakeholders in the development of accurate data for the sector. Sharp information is critical to business planning and forecasting, and the sector will benefit from this improved series.
After a delay while the IVS methodology was reviewed and refined, TIANZ understands the IVS will return to a quarterly release from June 2004 of visitor expenditure, visitor arrivals and market specific information to the tourism industry. | 
