Stuart Nash of NZ Tourism is set to ban leasing vehicles not self-contained

Published on : Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Tourism Minister of New Zealand, Stuart Nash has recently explained that freedom camping in vehicles that are not self-contained will be stopped as part of efforts to promote New Zealand to all the super rich tourists in abroad.

While speaking on Radio NZ’s Morning Report, the incoming minister explained that he is all set to introduce rules and regulation to stop the hiring of vans that do not contain toilets to tourists.

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

“We get all these vans driving around at the moment that are not self-contained, so if the driver or the passenger wants to go to the toilet – we all know examples of this – they pull over to the side of the road, and they s… in our waterways.”

Nash has also mentioned that he wanted Tourism New Zealand to aim on high-net-worth visitors who are not shy to spend huge sum.

“I am not saying we close the border to those who haven’t got a million dollars in their bank account. What I am saying is they will not be the target market and every tourist that comes to New Zealand … will pay for the New Zealand experience.”

He has also explained high-net-worth visitors as those who will spend “a hell of a lot of money” in the country.

“The sort of person who comes in, flies business class or premium economy, hires a helicopter, goes out and does a tour around Franz Josef and eats at a high-end restaurant … we do not need to spend money attracting backpackers here.”

Nash has stated that as foreign tourists who hire self-contained vehicles does not necessarily fall under the type of visitors New Zealand is actually keen on attracting, they will continue to be allowed to do so.

“If you are willing to pay for a campervan, at least you have the ability to dispose of your excrement in a way that meets our sustainability goals and, quite frankly, our brand.”

Nash has mentioned that he was looking at “innovative ways” to make sure taxpayers and ratepayers can skip tourism’s impact on infrastructure and the environment.

“What we are looking at is a unique opportunity for a reset. We have not got tourists here at the moment, so we have an opportunity to redefine our global value proposition and market to those who are going to add significant value to our country.”