A first-of-its-kind tourism alliance has been launched, uniting 15 regional tourism organisations across the North Island to spotlight the region’s diverse visitor experiences and drive international travel demand.
Announced at the Auckland Airport Tourism Forum in Rotorua ahead of TRENZ 2025, the new partnership represents a bold and collaborative step forward for New Zealand’s visitor economy.
The alliance is focused on generating renewed interest from key international markets — including Australia, China, and North America — all of which are showing signs of growth. Australian visitors now make up 42% of all international arrivals (up from 40% in 2019), while Auckland Airport reported an 11% increase in international arrivals to December 2024. Overall, visitor arrivals into Auckland are sitting at 84% of 2019 levels.
However, challenges remain — particularly in the Chinese market, where arrivals are still 44% below pre-pandemic levels, representing an estimated $1.23 billion gap in potential visitor spend.
In response, the alliance aims to leverage shared insights, resources, and market presence to bring the North Island’s regional tourism offerings to the forefront in a cohesive and compelling way. In an increasingly competitive global market for airline capacity, this kind of collaboration is more important than ever.
By moving beyond traditional regional competition and embracing the power of collective storytelling, the alliance is connecting coastlines, culture, cuisine, wellness, and adventure into one unified North Island narrative. It’s a shared commitment to sustainable tourism growth, regional economic recovery, and showcasing the depth and breadth of what makes the North Island a must-visit destination.
Since launching the Manawatū Destination Management Plan in late 2022, CEDA has been focused on building the region’s visitor sector capability with a view to becoming trade-ready for international markets. This new alliance is a natural next step — helping to drive visitation to Manawatū through a strong, collaborative North Island approach.
This new alliance signals a clear commitment to sustainable tourism growth, shared economic recovery, and showcasing the breadth and depth of experiences that make the North Island an essential stop for global visitors
Since launching the Manawatū Destination Management Plan in late 2022, CEDA has been focused on building the capability of the region's visitor sector with a view to moving into the trade-ready international tourism space. This new alliance is the logical next step in these efforts, helping to drive more visitation into Manawatū through a collaborative North Island approach.
