The country may attract only the "old rich set" and risks becoming known as "boring and staid" if it targets wealthy visitors, the Youth Hostels Association says. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has outlined his plans to ban the hiring of campervans that have no toilet on board, and to focus on high-value visitors. The Youth Hostels Association (YHA) has published an open letter to Nash, saying the youth market's significance to the New Zealand economy should not be understated. It says young travellers historically inject $1.5 billion a year into the economy, the most by any age group. Out of 109 countries, New Zealand sits about halfway in terms of the number of visitors versus number of residents.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 19, 2020 23:03 UTC