Shaping the Future of Tourism | Regional Tourism New Zealand

Shaping the Future of Tourism: New Zealand's Journey from Destination Management to stewardship

By: Kiri Goulter, previous Director Destination Management

Destination Management: A Strategic Foundation

Destination Management (DM) is about taking a strategic, holistic approach to ensuring tourism genuinely benefits our communities. It’s about finding the right balance between economic opportunity and the social, cultural, and environmental responsibilities that come with being a tourism destination. Done well, it enhances communities and ecosystems—done poorly, it depletes them.

In Aotearoa-New Zealand, over the past five years we’ve moved beyond just attracting visitors to asking deeper questions: What kind of tourism do we want? How do we ensure it benefits, rather than burdens, our places and people? These conversations have driven a shift towards a more intentional, long-term approach—one that puts communities, sustainability, and resilience at the heart of tourism decision-making.

Destination Stewardship: A Values-Driven Approach

More recently, there’s been a global push toward Destination Stewardship, recognising that simply managing tourism better isn’t enough. Stewardship takes things a step further—ensuring tourism exists in harmony with the places and people it touches. It’s about taking collective responsibility—not just managing tourism, but shaping it to genuinely enhance local environments, cultures, and communities.

As travellers increasingly look for ethical and responsible experiences, the industry is moving in the same direction. In Aotearoa- New Zealand, this aligns naturally with Te Ao Māori principles—kaitiakitanga (guardianship), manaakitanga (hospitality), and whanaungatanga (relationships). These values remind us that tourism should do more than sustain—it should actively enhance the environment, culture, and communities we share.

The Shift in New Zealand

Before COVID-19, New Zealand’s tourism industry was booming—but cracks were starting to show. Overcrowding, stretched infrastructure, and frustrated locals in hotspots like Queenstown and Milford Sound raised concerns about tourism’s long-term sustainability. Meanwhile, other regions struggled to attract enough visitors to sustain their economies. The need for a more strategic and balanced approach was clear.

Destination Management: The Foundation

In response, the New Zealand Government’s 2019 National Tourism Strategy recommended a stronger focus on DM. To support this, the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) developed Destination Management Guidelines, moving the conversation beyond marketing to a destination’s broader eco-system including aspects such as experience development, investment attraction, infrastructure, workforce capability, and sustainability.

COVID-19 accelerated this shift, with government funding supporting the development of Destination Management Plans (DMPs) across 31 regions. These plans, developed with strong local input, focus on:

Attracting visitors who align with regional values.
Enhancing visitor experiences and tourism infrastructure.
Supporting sustainable growth, business practices and smart investment.
Strengthening local economies and improving community well-being.
Building industry capability and climate resilience.
Aligning tourism with wider regional development strategies.
Strengthening governance, leadership, and data-driven decision-making.

Several regions went even further, embedding regenerative tourism approaches that actively restore and improve communities and the environment.

The Role of Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs)

RTOs (the equivalent of DMOs in New Zealand) play a crucial role in shaping tourism at the local level. They act as connectors between industry, local government, communities, mana whenua (indigenous people), and central government. Their work involves balancing the need to support businesses and attract visitors while ensuring tourism remains responsible, values-driven, and aligned with local aspirations.

But this isn’t easy. Most RTOs are small and are reliant on local government funding and since COVID-related funding ended, no new resources to support their growing role in destination stewardship have been available. Despite these challenges, they continue to remain committed.

Tourism doesn’t exist in isolation; the impact of visitation is felt across wider economic, environmental and social systems of a destination. RTOs are important local leaders, ideally ‘at the table’, aligning visitor strategies with broader local and central government policy goals, addressing challenges and capitalising on opportunities.

To be effective leaders and stewards, RTOs therefore require:

A clear and strengthened mandate to lead destination stewardship beyond marketing, ensuring tourism aligns with regional aspirations and sustainability goals.
Long-term, sustainable funding mechanisms that reduce reliance on local government and short-term project-based grants.
Capacity-building and leadership development to equip RTOs with the skills, tools, and governance structures needed to lead sustainable tourism transformation.

Without these critical enablers, RTOs will struggle to focus beyond their traditional marketing activities, and into their role of balancing economic opportunities with environmental and social responsibilities and aspirations. Therefore there is real risk that the gains made in destination stewardship will be lost.

Investing in Leadership and Capability

Recognising the need for strong leadership to drive destination stewardship forward, RTNZ launched Te Ūnga Mai—a national capability-building programme designed to build the knowledge, skills, and leadership of RTOs in their evolving roles. Delivered through a mix of in-person and online learning, the programme provided practical support to help RTOs lead effectively. Due to its widespread and meaningful impact, this initiative was nationally recognised, winning the 2022 New Zealand Tourism Award for Industry Collaboration.

Key Learnings and Future Considerations

New Zealand’s journey has highlighted critical success factors for safeguarding a destination stewardship approach and a sustainable, regenerative future for tourism:

A Shared Vision: Destinations thrive when there is a co-created vision and strategy, shaped by the public and private sectors, mana whenua, and communities. Tourism works best when it reflects local values and aspirations.
Tourism as Part of Broader Strategies: Tourism must be integrated into national and regional economic, social, and environmental strategies, recognising societal impact and system inter dependencies. Enabling legislation and policies are essential to activate shared responsibilities across the system.
Embedding Destination Stewardship in Governance & Institutional Structures: A destination management/stewardship approach needs to be mandated and embedded within governance frameworks, strategies, policies, and funding systems. This requires robust institutional structures with sustainable funding, and capable leadership.
Building a Competitive, Capable, and Equitable Tourism Ecosystem: Tourism must not rely solely on marketing at the expense of developing local supply—especially in regional areas and at place. To build compelling destinations, we need to invest in local infrastructure, drive product innovation, and strengthen supply chains that keep value within communities. At the same time, the sector must expand its capabilities beyond marketing by fostering new experiences and positioning tourism as an attractive investment. Targeted support, strategic interventions, and enabling conditions—particularly in lesser-known regions—are essential to promote equitable growth, ease pressure on traditional tourism hotspots, and transform secondary regions into vibrant, sustainable destinations.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: Reliable, real-time data and insights enable smarter strategy, adaptability, and impact measurement to fully understand ‘who benefits’ from tourism across communities. Evidence-based decisions help destinations to remain resilient, responsive, and future-focused.
Climate Action & Resilience: Tourism must actively contribute to New Zealand’s climate commitments including carbon reduction, environmental regeneration, and climate adaptation. Building climate literacy and integrating climate action into governance, infrastructure, and business models is essential to building resilience, protecting tourism economies, and ensuring the long-term viability of the sector.
Enduring Leadership & Commitment: Sustainable tourism requires strong leadership at all levels—national, regional, and local. Long-term thinking, partnerships and collaboration are essential to ensure tourism delivers broad benefits. Success comes from sustained commitment, continuous learning, and resilience-building over time.

Looking Ahead

Aotearoa – New Zealand has made significant strides, with community-led Destination Management Plans (DMPs) laying a strong foundation for a more sustainable tourism model.

Yet, our success hinges on sustained leadership, strategic investment, and robust execution. Without continued commitment, there’s a risk of slipping back into fragmented approaches, where short-term marketing efforts take precedence over long-term sustainability goals.

Our tourism system and enabling structures must be fit for purpose to address today’s complexities and tomorrow’s challenges, ensuring that the sector continues to thrive, and more communities benefit appropriately.

We have much to be proud of—mobilising nationwide and setting a global benchmark for destination management and stewardship. This achievement reflects our collective commitment to a tourism model that prioritises people, places, and enduring prosperity.

By staying the course, New Zealand can continue to lead the way and serve as an inspiring example for destinations worldwide.

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