For tourism, our most important resource is our people—consultant

Press, 8 June 1989, Page 12

For tourism, our most important resource is our people—consultant

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ter co-operation between the various sectors involved in tourism, both private and public, and central and local. “The tourism sector has grown so fast in the past decade, but it’s fragmented; the core tourism sector is made up of a lot of small, independent operators.

“Tourism is one sector in New Zealand that impacts so many parts of everybody’s lives, so it’s important when you’re looking at the planning process for the tourism sector for the next decade, that everyone’s involved.” There are also conflicting views about a lot of the issues raised by tourism, such as conservation, and . industrial relations, she points out. Longer shopping hours, for example, involving seven-days-a-week, 24-hours-a--day sectors, can be a cause of conflict if standard employee-employer relations are applied.

“The conference offered the opportunity for people to get together and look for solutions together rather than holding on to their own agenda,” she says.

“We made some strides, especially in conservation and industrial relations. "The natural and scenic areas of New Zealand are essential to the future of tourism, and need to be both protected and accessible,” the conference agreed. Consensus needs to be sought between conservationists and developers.

“This is quite a step forward,” says Sue Suckling. “It doesn’t mean thepe should be no development of parts of

MAVIS AIREY

reserves, but that it must be done in a way to protect the environment because that is one of our important tourist assets.” The conference supported the suggested World Heritage driveway linking Westland and Fiordland. It also agreed that it should be mandatory for regional councils to be responsible not only for promotion but also for funding tourism — an obligation they do not have a present. The conference also recommended setting up a consultative group to advise on standards for portrayal of Maori culture.

“The conference was Step One in the planning process, it was never intended to produce a blueprint for the next decade,” Sue Suckling says. “It recommended the Minister (of Tourism, Jonathan Hunt) to set up a task force to look at how the recommendations can be implemented, and the Minister accepted that recommendation.” The tourism sector has become New Zealand’s biggest foreign exchange earner, and the number of inbound tourists is expected to rise to two million by the year 2000. Targets of up too three million could be feasible. Sue Suckling says.

"We’ve got a lot of the assets that form the basis of our tourism. Christchurch and Queenstown will be among the main access points for inbound tourism and therefore if we offer the right products and services there will fbe opportunities for future growth.”

Melanoma gene located

NZPA-AP Boston Scientists have found a gene responsible for irregularly shaped moles that are a big underlying cause of fatal skin cancer. The gene causes moles known as dysplastic nevi, which often run in families. The moles can become cancerous, resulting in malignant melanoma. Unlike other forms of skin cancer, melanoma is often fatal. Most cases are not inherited, but about 10 per cent of cases occur in people with a family history of the disease.

In the research, scientists came closer to finding the gene involved in inherited melanoma, although they have not yet isolated it.

Their work “provides a starting point for the use of molecular techniques to identify the gene for the disorder and characterise its function,” they said.

The research was directed by Dr Sherri Bale, of the National Cancer Institute, and was published in the “New England Journal of Medicine.”

Finding the gene and learning the protein it makes should help scientists understand the causes of inherited melanoma. The research was based on genetic studies of 99 relatives and 26 spouses in six families were melanoma is common.

Funding for skills training is as important as funding to promote New Zealand as an overseas destination. This was a major commitment made by the Tourism 2000 conference held in Wellington recently, says Sue Suckling, who chaired the final session on planning for the future.

“There’s no point in getting people here if we don’t have the services to offer whereby we will become ambassadors for our product,” she says.

“Tourism is going to depend on managing and utilising resources — and our most important resource is our people.”

Chosen as the first “Businesswomen of the Year” in 1984, Sue Suckling now has her own consultancy company in Christchurch, Acemark, which specialises in restructuring existing operations and finding new markets for companies. The three-day conference was attended by more than 350 delegates representing the tourism sector, regional authorities, unions and employers, the Maori community, Government departments, planners, developers and consultants, educational institutions, and retailers

■ The first part of the conference was a broad overview of the industry, with speakers outlining opportunities for the future, and obstacles, such as lack of infrastructure, and the time taken to get planning agreement.

The remainder of the conference was taken up with 16 workshops, each with a facilitator to bring the group together in an unbiased manner.

Sue Suckling sees the most significant outcome of the comference as bet-