Tourism leaders gather at the Tourism Summit Aotearoa in Kirikiriroa. Photo: RNZ/Tess Brunton
Emerging tourism leaders are urging young people to start thinking of the industry as a career and not just short-term jobs on the way to something better.
They spoke at Tourism Summit Aotearoa in Kirikiriroa yesterday about their hopes for the future of the industry.
Ōhope Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park's Megan Smith was well aware of the reputation tourism could have in schools.
"Tourism was always taken at school as something where you get easy credits. That's why I took it originally," Smith said.
"I think it's showing our younger people that this isn't just a stop along the way, like this can be a future career and a lifelong goal."
Zorb Rotorua's Charlotte Brady wanted to change the perception parents often had about tourism as a career option.
"We get a lot of parents ... and people are like 'oh, why would you work in the tourism industry?' I think we need to do a lot more work at that level to change the perception.
"The parents are quite heavy influences on their children. Tourism's an epic career option and I think we need to tell our story a bit better."
She wanted the industry to be better at keeping and looking after its key people.
"We've got our entry level that are amazing, we've got that middle level management and then the (general managers). I think we need a little bit more job training for that middle tier level.
"We want to keep them in the industry and they're normally the ones that are training that entry level as well."
NZ Māori Tourism's Matt Ammunson-Fyall was interested in seeing a different focus than just the visitor experience.
"For me, something that's been rattling around in my head is that actually we shouldn't be focusing on the visitor.
"But ... as tourism organisations we should be focusing on our communities and how we can leverage their money to support our communities."
He argued that would be better for the tourists.
"I don't know what's more meaningful than being able to support communities that are struggling economically to survive.
"Murupara, was is its relevance post forestry? But if you can generate another stream of income so that these guys can stay at their homes, stay on their papakāinga ... to me that would be best experiences you can give."
Maverick Digital's Zac Watson wanted tourism to continue to play a greater role in supporting communities.
"We're enriching lives whether they be your staff members, whether they be your guests. It's all about that experience.
"Tourism's moving away from a very transactional type environmental approach, and I think that's an extremely good thing moving forward and definitely how we want to move forward as an industry."
He has got high aspirations for what the industry could look like in the future.
"(I've) come to a viewpoint of balance around how do we get back to being New Zealand's number one export earner from a financial point of view, but how do we do that in the right way by providing an incredible visitor experiences for our manuhiri yet looking after and giving back more than we take from the environment."
He wanted tourism to be the number one place to work in the future