AUCKLAND, 8 MAY 2025: New Zealand’s largest international tourism business event, TRENZ, convenes this week, hosting international buyers for three days of business talks and networking with the country’s travel content suppliers through to Friday, 8 May.
The three days provide a valuable opportunity to showcase the best of New Zealand tourism, our unique culture, and commitment to sustainability,” commented Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive René de Monchy in a statement posted in a newsletter to international travel buyers and influencers.
TRENZ comes on the heels of building destination New Zealand’s presence overseas, with Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team spending connecting with association decision-makers in Tokyo, Osaka, and Singapore during the recent Meetings Show APAC.
“Next on the agenda is IMEX Frankfurt in late May, one of the world’s leading business events tourism trade shows. We’ll have an impressive presence at the show, with a full-scale Hobbit Hole ™ located on the 100% Pure New Zealand stand, with real grass and flowers to bring it all to life and entice buyers to bring their next conference or incentive in New Zealand, “said the Tourism New Zealand CEO.
These trade shows are essential for New Zealand’s tourism industry, as business event visitors generate over NZD100 more in daily spending than other visitors to New Zealand. With the recent announcement of an additional NZD3 million in funding to support business events, these trade shows have come at an ideal time for us to promote New Zealand as a unique and memorable destination.
Tourism New Zealand has gained an additional NZD13.5 million in funding as part of the government’s Tourism Boost package, which aims to accelerate international visitor arrivals from core markets from July to December 2025 and through to March 2026.
“This will be used to bolster our international marketing activity, which is the primary lever for increasing arrivals to New Zealand. We know millions of people in our core markets are considering New Zealand, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to capitalise on this and accelerate growth for the tourism sector. This investment is expected to bring an additional 23,000 visitors to New Zealand and deliver over NZD100 million in visitor spending.
“In crunching the numbers, the February data from Stats NZ is positive, reporting 63,700 international visitors from the US over the month, a new record for US arrivals. The February year-end data also shows that 3.3 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, an increase of 247,017 (+8%) over February 2024 statistics.”
(Source: Tourism New Zealand)
