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Just in 2019, New Zealand received over 3.8 million visitors and these international visitors spent over $11.4 billion, with one of the key markets Australia being the top spender at over $2.7 billion. Queenstown, which is the second most popular destination, received over 1.3 billion tourists in 2018.

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This substantive growth in international arrivals is highly beneficial for not only the industry but also for the country, as international visitors contributed $17.2 billion each year towards the country's economy, there are concerns that these numbers bring that are slowly harming the destination and this comes in the form of mass tourism or over-tourism. Over-tourism is an issue that has a negative impact at a social-cultural and environmental level as it can create pressure on infrastructure, mobility, congestion management, and damage the environment. Hot spots like Queenstown, Milford Sound and Bay of Plenty tend to report more of these issues.

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For some destinations, the pandemic was considered a "blessing in disguise". It put a temporary pause on visits, allowing destinations to recover from the damage caused by mass tourism and focus on the restoration, conservation and preservation of the most affected areas and properties.

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For New Zealand, the pandemic was an opportunity to rethink the current tourism model and rebuild a more sustainable tourism system. One of the solutions is to focus on high-value tourists who can spend more without damaging the environment and disturbing the community.

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Considering this, one company decided to contribute to the improvement of New Zealand's tourism. Based in Queenstown, Kiwi Welcome is a sustainable travel start-up founded in 2020 by Sam Brough, who aimed to incentivise visitors to have more purpose-driven travel, contributing to the local community. Kiwi Welcome is a platform with vouchers, exclusive discounts, and special deals that can be redeemed by becoming a member, users that have purchased the 6-month membership will have access to these vouchers that allow them to save money across accommodation, food and activities. The local businesses, referred to as merchants, can register on this platform to add their own deals, and in return, they get clientele.

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Kiwi Welcome not only helps the local businesses and tour operators that were affected by the pandemic, but it also contributes to the improvement of the local environment and community overall as 100% of profits made from the membership goes towards social and environmental registered charities or charitable trusts that are chosen by a merchant at random. At the moment, the start-up is supporting 14 causes that contribute to the preservation and conservation of their area and has more than 50 merchants registered.

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The pandemic brought a new way of travel that more and more people want to adopt, and that is purpose-driven travel which initially was about having meaningful experiences and authentic cultural connections, but now it also means thinking about how your actions as a traveller are impacting the destination and its community and trying to adopt more responsible travel practices. Purpose-driven sustainable travel is a type of travel where the visitor can give back and receive something in return, and Kiwi Welcome's concept can do just that - it provides a product that benefits both ways. For the travellers, the benefit is the satisfaction of contributing to a significant cause while saving money, which is important right now, considering the extra expenses that travelling has due to the Covid tests.

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Being able to use discounted services and products also means visitors are more likely to spend more money on the destination, which is precisely what New Zealand's tourism wanted - high-value tourists that can spend more and contribute to the community's growth.

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The Kiwi Welcome model also takes into consideration new travel trends such as long stays and domestic travel. By creating a 6-month membership instead of a monthly membership, the start-up is hoping to attract travellers, who either are staying longer, such as digital nomads, or domestic travellers that can return often to take full advantage of the membership. Short-stay tourists are welcome to become members as long as they can come back during the 6-month period more than once.

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As we can see, this start-up was able to successfully incorporate various elements in this project that can support different areas of tourism. Kiwi Welcome's membership brings high-value visitors to local businesses, contributing to the economic growth of the local area, and in return, visitors benefit from saving money during their trips. These visitors not only contribute on a local level, but in the long-term, they contribute to the recovery of New Zealand's tourism and the country's economy, as they are likely to be domestic travellers and staying longer. And through the membership's donations, Kiwi Welcome contributes to the local environment conservation done by the charities involved.

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Kiwi Welcome truly advocates tourism sustainability in Queensland and New Zealand as an altruistic start-up that gives more than it takes.

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