London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

New Zealand needs wealthy visitors not 'noodle-eating backpackers', says Ardern's tourism minister

New Zealand needs wealthy visitors not 'noodle-eating backpackers', says Ardern's tourism minister

The remarks have been condemned as out of touch and elitist

Jacinda Ardern’s tourism minister said the country should be targeting wealthy holidaymakers to New Zealand at the expense of “dried noodle” eating backpackers.

As the country’s beleaguered tourism industry reopens following one of the world’s longest Covid border closures, Stuart Nash explained what type of holidaymaker he wants to welcome into the country.

He said the country is seeking “high quality” foreign tourists who have big money to spend over those on a shoestring budget who won’t pump money into the economy.

Instead he preferred to see New Zealand as one of the top three aspirational destinations for the “world’s most discerning travellers”.

Addressing the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand in Nelson, Mr Nash said: “In terms of targeting our marketing spin it is unashamedly going to be at these high quality tourists.”


Views condemned as ‘elitist’

Backpackers might be welcome, he acknowledged, but his department is not actively targeting “the guys who jump in a campervan and make a Facebook video about how they can get around our country on $10 a day by eating dried noodles”.

“That’s not who we are targeting in this day and age of social media, we can be a lot more targeted in our advertising,” he explained later in an interview with Stuff.co.nz.

The tourism minister’s remarks have been condemned as out of touch, with at least one commentator labelling his views as elitist.

Another critic tweeted: “Poor, working class not welcome.”

It is not the first time Mr Nash has courted controversy.

Two years ago he made it clear that New Zealand was “unashamedly” interested in the super wealthy such as the tourist who “flies business class or premium economy, hires a helicopter, does a tour round Franz Josef (the country’s steepest glacier) and then eats at a high end restaurant”.


Tourism crucial for economic recovery

In reality lower income, long-term visitors to New Zealand, including backpackers and foreign students, often spend more than their rich counterparts because they have longer stints in the country. Many also make return trips.

Even cruise ship passengers, who represent 9 per cent of the country’s visitors, only account for 3 per cent of tourist spending, according to researchers.

As New Zealand emerges from about a year of self-imposed isolation owing to pandemic restrictions, the return of the country’s tourism industry will play a key economic role.

International borders were only fully opened at the beginning of this month, allowing free and unfettered entry to foreign travellers.

Tourism generates nearly 10 per cent of New Zealand’s gross national product and while Mr Nash’s comments might upset some, many of his fellow countrymen would prefer fewer visitors, if only to protect their ecologically sensitive environment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×