Tourism New Zealand and Immigration New Zealand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six select Indian tour operators in Mumbai recently. The MoU assures that clients of these companies applying for business visas to New Zealand, will benefit from a three day turnaround period. According to Simon Smith, Counsellor Immigration New Delhi, Immigration New Zealand, of the 35,000 Indian visitors that came to New Zealand in 2013, 8 per cent visited for business and 2 per cent for conferences.
David Craig, General Manager Asia, Tourism New Zealand, called India one of New Zealand’s fastest growing markets, which encouraged the tourism body to rev up their investment here, both in terms of marketing and people. The MoU was signed with Cox & Kings, Kuoni, TUI India, Zenith Holidays, Thomas Cook India and Club 7.
India is the first market in the world to benefit from a MoU of this kind. The MoU further gives these partners the advantages of a dedicated Immigration New Zealand contact and special training for the agents’ visa staff.
Speaking about the India market, Michael Woodhouse, Minister of Immigration stated that the footfall has been mostly fuelled by VFR and FIT traffic, and the need was felt to further facilitate MICE movement as well. Craig revealed that Tourism New Zealand’s focus segments from India moving forward would be in three categories: The young adventurer, which would include the youth looking for adventure sports, and honeymooners with an inclination for adventure activities; families; and business events.
The destination has also invested in opening more dedicated resorts to cater to MICE activities, and intends to spend more on developing this segment. “We welcomed 1,500 MICE visitors last year, and are adding more facilities in anticipation of more MICE footfall. We believe that agencies working together are the key to success in increased visitor numbers in this segment,” opined Craig.
The Minister stated that Immigration New Zealand has a vision for a modern and technologically advanced visa system, and trusted partners are the need of the hour to achieve the same. “People to people relationships and business partnerships are important to us,” he added.
In light of the upcoming World Cup 2015, Former New Zealand cricketer and Black Caps Captain Stephen Fleming was also present at the signing as an ambassador for Tourism New Zealand. He took the opportunity to launch a special ad campaign centred on the event, showcasing Australia and New Zealand working together to draw cricket enthusiasts to the destinations. This ad campaign comes on the heels of the countries announcing a single visa for both countries for the World Cup period.
