By Marisa Bidois

CEO, Restaurant Association of New Zealand

The government’s announcement of an additional $13.5 million investment to attract international tourists is a welcome move for our visitor economy — and for the hospitality sector, it couldn’t come at a better time.

As we continue to recover from years of disruption, there is a real opportunity not only to bring more people to our shores but to encourage them to explore ourculinary offering more widely. Because while tourists may come for our landscapes, it’s the flavour of their experiences that makes them stay longer, spend more, and return again.

International visitors play a crucial role in supporting the hospitality industry. They tend to spend more per visit than domestic travellers and often dine out during off-peak times — such as weekdays and outside of school holidays — helping to smooth out seasonal fluctuations and maintain consistent trade throughout the year.

Yet too often, we hear of fantastic hospitality concepts opening only to close within a few years. Why? Because the domestic market alone cannot always sustain them. For a truly vibrant and resilient hospitality sector, we need a steady flow of international visitors walking through the doors of our restaurants, wine bars, and cafes— not just in Queenstown, but across the country.

Queenstown remains a major drawcard for international visitors — with around one in three making it part of their journey — but the focus now needs to shift toward encouraging greater regional dispersal. As Destination Queenstown CEO Mat Woods has noted, while Queenstown thrives during peak periods, it can also face challenges managing demand, with limited accommodation capacity making it difficult for local workers to find places to live.

We agree with his assessment and echo his support for efforts to encourage travel beyond traditional hotspots, noting there’s significant capacity elsewhere in New Zealand to absorb and benefit from increased visitor numbers.

The opportunity now is to promote regional dispersal and seasonality. New Zealand has the capacity — and the capability — to move visitors around and spread the economic benefit further. From Taranaki to Tauranga, from Bluff to the Bay of Islands, there are world-class experiences waiting to be discovered, particularly around food.

We also need to put more focus on encouraging visitors to spend time in our major cities. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are home to some of the most exciting and diverse dining experiences in the Southern Hemisphere, yet they are often overlooked as mere stopovers on the way to more ‘Instagrammable’ locations. This must change.

It’s time we started actively telling our food story as part of our national brand. We know it’s expensive to travel to New Zealand, and tourists expect high-value experiences as a result – experiences which we are more than capable of delivering. That includes the chance to taste locally sourced ingredients, experience indigenous cooking traditions, and dine at globally recognised restaurants. Our food and hospitality culture is a powerful differentiator, and we should be selling it with pride.

This new investment is an opportunity to reset our tourism marketing — to look beyond just the scenery and tell the full story of New Zealand. Let’s make sure that when the world looks our way, they see not only the mountains and beaches, but the vibrant communities and unforgettable flavours that make this country so special.