Maori tourism mentoring applications open

The government is looking for organisations that can develop and provide the Maori Tourism Mentoring Programme in 2009, the Associate Tourism Minister, Jonathan Coleman, said today.

"Maori cultural tourism provides a valuable point of difference for New Zealand in a competitive global market. A priority for the Ministry of Tourism is to build capability and quality in the Maori tourism sector in a way that will add value to the whole of the New Zealand tourism sector," Jonathan Coleman said.

The programme's objective is to help Maori cultural tourism businesses be profitable and sustainable, by providing services that help them be:

• Distinctive, authentic and high quality
• Able to plan for future development
• Industry-accredited, particularly with Qualmark accreditation, and
• Participants in the international distribution and marketing chain, particularly in Tourism New Zealand's international marketing initiatives.

"Maori tourism businesses are capable of greater development, and Maori cultural tourism has the potential to feature more prominently as a unique attraction to promote New Zealand. This programme will provide tangible support towards achieving those goals. We are looking for experienced, quality providers that can really make a difference to the performance of the Maori tourism sector over the long term," Jonathan Coleman said.

The application document is available for viewing and downloading on the Ministry of Tourism website www.tourism.govt.nz.  It is also available from the Government Electronic Tendering Services (GETS) website www.gets.govt.nz.

Applications close at noon on 23 January 2009.