Bugger the Poor – We Only Want Rich People!

Labour’s new approach to international tourism is a shocker. The media loves to call Trump crass, yet they don’t seem to mind when Stuart Nash, Labour’s Minister for Tourism, demonises some international tourists with the extremely crass comment that they “shit in our waterways”.

What a fine thing for our Minister for Tourism to say publicly.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says he will ban hiring vans that are not self-contained to tourists, as he urges a focus on attracting high-spending visitors.

The incoming minister told a tourism summit yesterday the industry should sell itself as a destination for the wealthy when borders reopen.

I really feel for the tourism industry right now. Just as interference from the government to bash landlords to help tenants actually made the situation much worse for tenants, I can’t help but think that government interference in the tourism industry will do the same.

How bizarre to have a Labour government aiming to make NZ tourism available only for the very rich. Already businesses like Jucy rentals have gone under, thanks to the lockdowns, and if the new ban goes ahead, other operators who have managed to survive may now go to the wall as well because the ban may turn much of their tourist hire fleet into worthless junk.

Of course, it all depends on how strict the ban is. Will the addition of a portable chemical toilet be all that is required to make a van compliant or will the vans need to have storage tanks for sewage?

Nash told RNZ there was built-up demand from wealthy travellers, while backpackers and freedom campers would not be the target market.

“Gone are the days, as far as I’m concerned, where you hire a cheap van that is not self-contained,” Nash said.

Nash said too often ratepayers and taxpayers had picked up the bill of the impact of tourism on infrastructure and the environment.

He said the full cost of tourism needs to be priced into the visitor experience.

“What we’re looking at at the moment is a unique opportunity for a re-set.

“We haven’t got tourists here at the moment, so we have an opportunity to re-define our global value proposition and market to those who add significant value to our country.