'Everyone must go': New Zealand's tourism drive draws ire
But, he adds, "the fact that we're talking about it is a good thing. It's a great thing."Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, tourism spokesperson for the opposition Labour Party, told local news outlet RNZ that the new slogan "makes New Zealand sound like we're in a clearance bin at a sale"."The irony of that messaging is, that's how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now," she said, pointing to the "many cuts" that residents have experienced.Job cuts to the public sector over the past year, as part of the government's austerity push, have affected thousands of people.Meanwhile, people are moving out of the country in record numbers. Official figures show that there were nearly 130,000 departures last year - though that was offset by the arrival of nearly 160,000 immigrants."New Zealanders are voting with their feet, leaving in record high numbers," Labour MP Barbara Edmonds wrote on X on Monday. "Is their real tourism plan 'Everyone Must Go' - for Kiwis?"Others associated the slogan with demand for lavatories."I think 'Everyone Must Go' might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous," Green Party MP Celia Wade-Brown told RNZ. "They don't go kayaking, they don't go diving, but, my goodness, they queue at the toilets."Tourism minister Louise Upston said in a statement on Sunday that "the campaign tagline of 'Everyone must go' lets Australia know that New Zealand is a 'must visit' destination, and that we're ready and waiting to welcome them now". New Zealand's tourism numbers have yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, and authorities are channelling efforts into attracting visitors from neighbouring Australia, its largest source of tourists.Last year, New Zealand welcomed more than 1.2m visitors from Australia. But Upston said visitors numbers were only 88% of that in 2019. Luxon said he hoped the latest campaign would boost Australian visitor numbers by 5%. "It would be totally and utterly tragic if those Australians don't get here before they do die," he said.The month-long tourism campaign is set to start this Thursday.
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