West Coast being showcased at TRENZ

Twelve West Coast tourism businesses are attending the event, participating in over 670 meetings with international buyers to promote their businesses and the region as a visitor destination.

Patrick Dault, Development West Coast Destination and Tourism Manager, expressed his excitement about the event, stating, "It's energising to attend TRENZ in person this year. The face-to-face engagement is an invaluable part of tourism and destination management." Dault believes the West Coast's participation at TRENZ plays a crucial role in developing new products and itineraries to rebuild the region's tourism sector, which saw 2.1 million visitor movements before the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a special highlight of the event, the West Coast will host a memorable closing function featuring a West Coast Beer Garden. Four iconic Coast businesses - Reefton Distilling Co, West Coast Pie Company, Monteith's Brewery, and the Hokitika Sandwich Company - will come together to create this unique experience. "Figuratively transporting the entire TRENZ delegates to the West Coast, albeit for an instant," Dault said.

Dale Burrows, owner of Franz Josef Wilderness Tours, shared his enthusiasm for the event, noting, "The first day of TRENZ was fantastic, made a whole lot of new connections, and it has been great to put some faces to names on some of the old connections. And just great to meet a whole new crew in the industry."

TRENZ is taking place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre from May 9th to 11th. The theme for TRENZ 2023 is "tūhura," which encompasses discovery, exploration, and investigation – the essence of travel.

Rebecca Ingram, Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive, emphasised the importance of the event, stating, "TRENZ plays an important role in the recovery of New Zealand’s valuable tourism industry, it ensures that New Zealand is well-positioned on a world stage."