New Zealand’s peak tourism body, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) supports the amalgamation of The Motel Association and Hospitality New Zealand.
“We are sorry to be saying goodbye to MANZ – which is a long established association representing an important and distinct sector of New Zealand accommodation. However, we
already have a close working relationship with HNZ and we expect that to continue,” said TIA chief executive Chris Roberts.
The amalgamation between Hospitality New Zealand and the Motel Association of New Zealand has now been formalised with the signing of the contract, late last week in Nelson, at Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference.
“After 6 months of really positive talks and working through the process to ensure we benefit all members across the entire industry, we are very pleased to have reached this moment,” said national president of Hospitality New Zealand Adam Cunningham.
The two associations’ boards are excited about what the future now holds. The combined current membership is in excess of 3300 members spread across New Zealand, combining all parts of the hospitality sector – including motels, hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants and retail beverages.
“This is also an opportunity to really support the accommodation sector with the launch of the Accommodation NZ brand within Hospitality New Zealand,” said Peter Nash, national president of MANZ and soon to be chair of the advisory council set up to help develop the future of the Accommodation NZ brand.
“It’s about helping our current members get more support, resources, supply partnerships and a united voice both locally and at a national level. The future is very exciting and we look forward to the coming months whilst we operationalise this fantastic opportunity,” said Cunningham.
TIA is the only association that represents all sectors of New Zealand’s large and diverse tourism industry, including accommodation, transport, attractions and activities. Collectively, TIA members make up around 85% of New Zealand’s tourism turnover.
“TIA will continue to look after the tourism interests of all accommodation providers, including hotels, motels, apartments, lodges, backpackers, holiday parks and B&Bs,” said Roberts.
In the last 12 months TIA members provided almost half of all guest nights in commercial accommodation across New Zealand. However, compared with other types of accommodation, TIA has relatively few motels as members.
Roberts said, “In the past we have encouraged motels to be members of MANZ and provided support to their association. TIA will continue to work closely with HNZ on various hospitality-related issues. There continues to be an opportunity for all accommodation providers who want to be directly connected on the key tourism issues to take up a TIA membership.
“Guided by the Tourism 2025 growth framework, we are creating a strong platform for growth across the tourism industry value chain and ensuring we have the right operating
environment for the tourism industry to succeed,” he said.