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Chinese hotel plan model for New Zealand tourism investment: industry

Xinhua, September 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

A hotel project billed as China 's biggest-ever investment in New Zealand's infrastructure demonstrates the need for greater investment in the country's tourism sector, an industry group said Thursday.

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) said the planned Park Hyatt Auckland hotel demonstrated the opportunities in developing commercial accommodation.

The Auckland Council this week approved the central city waterfront development, which will be built by the Beijing-based Fu Wah International Group, in partnership with the council's Waterfront Auckland agency, and managed by the Hyatt Group.

It was pleasing to see the investors were targeting the top end of the visitor market with the development, which would be built at a cost of 200 million NZ dollars (125.7 million U.S. dollars), TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said in a statement.

He was commenting after the government statistics agency released figures showing guest nights in July were up 4 percent from July last year.

Domestic guest nights were up 4.4 percent and international guest nights were up 3.3 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand.

For the year ending July, total guest nights were up 5.3 percent.

With the industry's focus on growing value faster than volume, the Park Hyatt Auckland was the type of development needed to meet the industry's target of doubling total tourism revenue to 41 billion NZ dollars (25.75 billion U.S. dollars) in the next decade, said Roberts.

Centers like the biggest city of Auckland, the capital Wellington and the ski resort of Queenstown were expected to have "No Vacancy" signs up at times this coming southern summer, he said.

"It is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities," said Roberts.

As well as accommodation, investment is needed in airports, transportation, port facilities, convention facilities, and visitor attractions and activities. Endi