Hospo NZ welcomes tourism and events boost

Hospitality New Zealand has welcomed the announcement by Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Hon Louise Upston, that the Government will be investing $70 million into tourism and events attraction.

Minister Upston said that the investment combines “...a significant injection of new money with existing funding to create a critical mass to help events and tourism grow.”

The package includes:

• a $40 million Events Attraction Package to secure large-scale international events from 2026.

• a $10 million Events Boost Fund to support existing events and attract international opportunities.

• a $10 million Regional Tourism Boost Campaign to incentivise international visitors.

• up to $10 million for tourism infrastructure upgrades including cycle trails.

Nick Keene, Hospitality NZ’s Interim Chief Executive, says the funding will return direct benefit to the hospitality sector. “Large-scale events play a crucial role in supporting New Zealand’s economy, particularly for industries like ours that rely on visitor spending.

“Major events drive demand across the host city, from hotel bookings to restaurants, bars and cafés. The flow-on benefits touch almost every part of the hospitality sector, and often encourage people to travel to New Zealand and travel beyond the event location.

“We also welcome the Regional Tourism Boost campaign and funding for tourism infrastructure upgrades. Driving regional visitation ensures tourism’s benefits can be felt across the country.

“While today’s announcement is an excellent acknowledgement of the role major events can play in economic growth, they often have a long lead time. Acknowledging the funding is intended for events starting next year, sustained investment is key to ensure long-term attraction of major events is prioritised.

“Hospitality NZ looks forward to supporting the Government’s major events strategy and contributing where we can to seeing a strong pipeline of events realised.”

Louise Upston says most of the announcement is intended to deliver events beginning in 2026 with some of the attraction package funding spread over two years to allow for contractual flexibility if needed.

The full package will be rolled out over the next two years, with further announcements on events and infrastructure projects expected by the end of 2025.