“Wellington is a business and tourism hotspot and the city needs more hotel rooms in the near future, so we fully support the NZTE initiative,” she says.
“We actively encourage hotel investment in Wellington to meet the increased demand that our cosmopolitan arts capital attracts. Our new flight connections to Singapore and economic growth initiatives including the new movie museum, convention centre and extended airport runway will increase demand.
“Wellington business has increasingly taken on an international focus with delegations and business partners among frequent visitors to Wellington,” says Mayor Wade-Brown
Wellington City Council’s Economic Growth Committee Chair, Councillor Jo Coughlan, says the Capital City has a full and expanding events programme. “Annual demand for hotel room nights is expected to increase from just over 1 million room nights in 2015 to 1.3 million room nights in 2025. We do not want to have to turn future visitors away because the ‘full house’ signs are up – that would defeat the purpose of our collective investment in local events and economic initiatives.”
She says a lack of accommodation and hotel investment in New Zealand is a barrier to the country maximising its current booming growth in the tourism sector and so the NZTE programme will be welcomed by the business sector.
Chris Whelan, Chief Executive of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, says WREDA is working closely with NZTE on a prospectus to market Wellington as an investment opportunity.
“International tourism expenditure in New Zealand is forecast to grow 65% between now and 2022. For Wellington to derive maximum benefit we must continue developing tourism product, promoting our distinctive destination credentials in growth markets, and ensuring we have infrastructure in place to meet the demand. NZTE has identified a need for offshore capital to support this infrastructure development, and we are very pleased to work with them to attract new investment to the Wellington region.”