Go with Tourism – a government-funded initiative to build New Zealand’s Tourism & Hospitality workforce – is expecting visitor numbers to total more than 15,000 when the count comes in from the final career expo this Thursday in Wellington.

This number will be the sum of all five expos held in 2021. The other host cities – Christchurch, Auckland, Dunedin and Hamilton – all experienced record-breaking numbers this year.

Go with Tourism Programme Director, Matt Stenton, says the numbers are encouraging as Tourism and Hospitality industry faces its worst skills shortage ever. An estimated 80,000 people will be needed by the time New Zealand’s border open.

“Labour shortages is the hottest topic in the media right now and it’s an undeniable fact our industry is currently struggling with staffing. In view of this, seeing so many people come to our expos and wanting to explore their career options gives me hope that we will claw back talent.

“The feedback we’ve received about our expos has been phenomenal. Not only are teachers and students telling us we’re opening eyes, but we’re hearing words of gratitude and encouragement from community leaders and politicians everywhere we go too. Word of mouth has spread; we’ve even had the Minister of Tourism request a tour of our Wellington expo.”

Since the expo season began on 13 May in Christchurch, Go with Tourism has seen a 34 per cent increase of Job Connector profiles created and 69 per cent increase in registrations through the Pledge A Placement programme.

The numbers aren’t surprising to Stenton. “When people understand the multitude of opportunities and progression available in our industry – once they unlearn what society tells them Tourism & Hospitality work is – we often find that they are interested to be a part of this fantastic industry.

Breaking down long-held negative perceptions of Tourism and Hospitality careers is an important outcome for Go with Tourism, particularly in secondary schools. Small changes at this level, such as the current NCEA Change Programme which is exploring turning Tourism into an achievement standard subject, will make a big impact in the long run.”

The Wellington expo will feature exhibits from businesses and educators for attendees to explore both work and study opportunities. The expos also operate activations to showcase various roles in the industry.

The Go with Tourism Expo will take place this Thursday 8 July at the Michael Fowler Centre. It was shortened to a one-day event following the cancellation of the original dates late June, due to the level two lockdown.

Written by Helen Shaw, Marketing Communications Manager