First time TRENZ 2018 will be held in…

By Hannah Edensor

…Dunedin! In 2018, TRENZ is taking its mammoth tourism extravaganza to the South Island for the first time in 12 years.

On the final day of TRENZ 2017, the Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA), Chris Roberts, announced the host city for the 2018 event, a first for Dunedin.

Roberts said the annual event has been run since the 1960s and 2018 will be the first time TRENZ is hosted outside of Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch or Queenstown.

In partnership with Southland and Tourism Waitaki, the tourism and trade business event will be held on May 7-10 2018.

“TRENZ 2018 will bring up to 1200 international travel and tourism buyers, media and New Zealand tourism operators to Dunedin and will be one of the largest events for the city in the last decade,” said Roberts.

“At what is traditionally a quiet time for local Dunedin tourism businesses, TRENZ 2018 will inject several million dollars into the city’s economy, including accommodation, transport, meals, functions and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent staging the event.”

The Mayor of Dunedin, Dave Cull, (pictured) was on hand to share his excitement for the news.

“This announcement sends a clear message to international markets that tourism is not only important, it’s imperative,” he said.

“Tourism is Dunedin’s second economic driver after education and accounts for 15 per cent of the city’s GDP.”

Cull called Dunedin the “wildlife and heritage capital” of New Zealand, with its unique mix of attractions, from albatross, penguins and sea lions, to some of the country’s finest Victorian architecture.

“There is so much to showcase in the south at TRENZ 2018 that we could probably do it twice over,” Cull told the media.

“We’re committed to continually growing our capacity… and improving our vital travel pipeline and gateway.”

“As well as the direct economic benefit of hosting such a big event, TRENZ 2018 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our world class tourism offerings to key global travel, trade and media influencers and allow them to experience all of it first-hand.”

“Dunedin is on a roll and is open for business,” Cull concluded.

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