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Associate Minister of Tourism Todd McClay today announced the opening of an $8 million, four year funding round to enhance and maintain the Great Rides of Nga Haerenga, the New Zealand Cycle Trail.

“This Government is investing in improving our tourism infrastructure to make sure high-value visitors have a great experience and New Zealand remains a top tourist destination,” Mr McClay says.

Associate Minister of Tourism Todd McClay has welcomed the announcement that the world's biggest mountain bike event, Crankworx, is coming to Rotorua and said this will be celebrated by the New Zealand tourism sector.

Born in Whistler, British Columbia, Crankworx is a multi-disciplinary mountain bike festival celebrating endurance, supreme flow, monster air and vertical-dropping riding.

More than 750 international riders and competitors will participate in this event in Rotorua over five days in March 2015.

Associate Minister of Tourism Todd McClay emphasised the importance of the Government’s Tourism Growth Partnership as he helped launch Skyline’s Rotorua Mountain Bike Gravity Park today.

The Government’s Tourism Growth Partnership co-invested $225,000 alongside the $225,000 invested by Skyline Gravity Park to upgrade the park to international race standards.

“The Park offers an outstanding experience to the New Zealand mountain biking scene and will also grab interest from international mountain biking events and visitors,” Mr McClay says.

New Zealand will host a meeting of Australian Tourism Ministers early next year to explore areas where the two countries can drive greater innovation and productivity in the tourism sector, Associate Minister of Tourism Todd McClay has said.

Mr McClay, who recently attended the Tourism Ministers Meeting in Australia, said that the meeting had not previously been held in New Zealand and he therefore decided to extend an invitation to his Australian counterparts to hold it here next year.

Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay has congratulated Tourism New Zealand on winning the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) marketing Grand Award for the 100% Middle-Earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.

“The hard-work and innovation of Tourism New Zealand’s marketing teams has been rewarded through winning this award, it is a great achievement that everyone at Tourism New Zealand should be very proud of,” Mr McClay says.

Streamlined visa arrangements will assist Australia and New Zealand to capitalise on the tourism opportunities that will flow from co-hosting the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015, ministers have said.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

Firstly I just want to acknowledge TIA Chairman Grant Lilly, Terry Ngan and Stephen Hamilton from Horwath HTL, and Garth Simmons from Accor.

I was pleased to accept the role as Associate Minister of Tourism when the Prime Minister gave it to me earlier this year. As MP for Rotorua, I have long been aware of the major role that tourism plays in the New Zealand economy. It is this Government’s ambition that tourism can make an even stronger contribution to New Zealand’s economic performance.

The Government’s Tourism Growth Partnership is investing in Rotorua’s Skyline Gravity Park to upgrade its mountain bike tracks, Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay announced today.

Skyline’s proposal involves upgrading Gravity Park’s tracks to UCI racing standards, which will help Rotorua target major international mountain bike events.

“The Government’s Tourism Growth Partnership is funding $225,000 in addition to the $225,000 invested into the project by the Skyline Gravity Park,” Mr McClay says.

Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay has described the tourism industry as being in a very confident mood ahead of the annual TRENZ industry showcase in Auckland next week.

“New Zealand is well and truly leading the way when it comes to the bounce-back of international visitors since the Global Financial Crisis,” says Mr McClay.

Revenue and Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay today leaves for Kazakhstan to attend the Asian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting, the OECD Ministerial Council meeting in Paris, and tourism meetings in London.

The Annual Meeting is the major annual engagement New Zealand has with the ADB. New Zealand contributes to the Bank’s Ordinary Capital Reserves, which is reflected by our shareholding with the Bank.

The Government’s major investments in Tourism New Zealand and the screen industry are paying big dividends according to Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay.

Results of NZIER research, released today by Tourism New Zealand, show that tourism marketing efforts are having a major impact on the number of visitor arrivals in New Zealand.

Arrivals were up by 7.3 per cent to 2.77 million to February 2014, the highest one-year growth rate in a decade.

A $300,000 Government investment will help build the international profile of the Vibram Tarawera Ultramarathon, Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay announced today.

The race this Saturday is the southern-most global location of the new 10-event Ultra-Trail World Tour series and will showcase 100 kilometres of beautiful lake, forest and geothermal landscapes from Rotorua to Kawerau. 

A record 190 international athletes from 27 countries have registered to compete alongside 660 local competitors.

Thank you, David, for your welcome. I am delighted to join you today to mark the inaugural trans-Tasman flight of Jetstar’s flagship 787 Dreamliner.

As the Associate Minister of Tourism, I am heartened by the confidence that Jetstar is demonstrating in the New Zealand market, by choosing to invest in the Dreamliner and fly it to New Zealand.

Jetstar’s innovative approach

Thank you Mai Chen for the introduction and thank you also to the New Zealand Asian Leaders organisation for inviting me here to speak at the inaugural Asian Leaders Forum.

While I have only recently been appointed in the role of Associate Minister of Tourism, I have been the MP for Rotorua since 2008 so I am well aware of the value of tourism and the increasing opportunities that Asia presents. I would like to talk briefly about these today.