Amway China Chooses Queenstown, New Zealand to Host its 2018 Leadership Seminar

In 2018, Amway China will be sending 10,000 of its elite distributors to Queenstown, the holiday destination on the South Island of New Zealand, for a five-day business trip. This is expected to yield a revenue of NZ$50 million (approximately RMB220 million) and estimated shopping consumption of NZ$10 million (approximately RMB45 million), which will play a prominent role in promoting New Zealand's tourism and economic development.

As a new player in the incentive business sector, standing out from the fierce competition to win the bid is significant for New Zealand. It lays a solid foundation for the country to further explore the incentive business market, and at the same time it helps to create a brand-new model.

Commenting on the announcement, Prime Minister Key said, "This is by far the biggest incentive business New Zealand has ever won, and it sends a strong message that New Zealand is a serious contender in the global incentive market. China is now our second-largest and fasting growing tourism market, contributing nearly NZ$1.7 billion (around RMB76.5 billion) to the economy in 2015. And Chinese tourists have the highest daily spend of any of our visitors."

Mr Key further points out that in 2013, the New Zealand government committed an additional $34 million (about RMB150 million) over four years for the purpose of securing international business events and incentives like this one because of the value they bring to the economy.

New Zealand boasts breathtaking natural scenery and landscapes, a wide range of outdoor activities, unique Maori culture and friendly people. Moreover, it offers an array of high-end travel programs for business events tourists, such as luxurious accommodation, golf courses that rank among the top 100 in the world, helicopter sightseeing, and food and wine experiences. All of them allow New Zealand to not only satisfy demand for business events destinations, but also meet participants' expectations for perfect holidays, making the country the ideal choice for business events beyond convention.

David Craig, Tourism New Zealand General Manager Asia says, "Hosting is one of the things we New Zealanders do best. In Maori, we use 'manaakitanga' to express our concept of hosting: we view our visitors as friends. Precisely because of this, I firmly believe that New Zealand can provide distinctive incentive business experiences, just as our slogan 'Naturally Beyond Convention' implies. We hope to attract more high value visitors to New Zealand in the future, and business event is a significant part of it."

Amway China's president Audie Wong notes, "We chose New Zealand as our partner for Amway China's 2018 Leadership Seminar because we value its excellent hard and soft tourism conditions, and we appreciate the high flexibility and creativity it exhibits as a business events destination. We believe, this seminar, providing a great opportunity for all the participants to witness New Zeeland's natural beauty and unique culture, will not only help them widen their vision, but also leave them with a lasting memory. It will help enhance the understanding between the two peoples and the friendship between the two countries."

Tourism New Zealand joined hands with Immigration New Zealand, Queenstown Council, Destination Queenstown, and Air New Zealand to provide strong support to win the bid via the finest resource combination.

Vanessa van Uden, Mayor of Queenstown, who specially travelled from Queenstown to Shanghai for the press briefing, says, "Queenstown in autumn is truly beautiful, offering readily available tourism options from food and wine to outdoor activities. I'm confident that Amway's elite distributor team will gain joy and inspiration from this trip, and will not regret their choice."

In the first half year of 2018, Amway China's 10,000 elite distributors will arrive in New Zealand in autumn to cleverly utilise New Zealand's richest tourism resources to better showcase differently seasons' characteristic experience. It will create a truly unique premium travel experience for the participants.

As New Zealand's second largest visitor market, China is key to New Zealand tourism. In recent years, Chinese tourists to New Zealand have been continually growing. In the past year ending February 2016, the total number of Chinese tourists to New Zealand hit 368,000, a 27.9% increase. Among them, FIT and Business Events were the highest value-added points for the development of tourism. To better implement the strategy of attracting high value tourists via business events programs, Tourism New Zealand set up a business events department in July 2013. In 2015, New Zealand launched a facilitated process for Business Events Visa in China, offering the best possible convenience for Chinese enterprises to hold business events in New Zealand, which has received positive response in the market. So far, Tourism New Zealand has successfully won 47 bids.

About New Zealand Business Events

New Zealand's breathtaking natural scenery and unique Maori culture place it high on the list of 'must see' destinations for international travelers. Quality infrastructure, high service levels and a reputation for safety, friendliness and innovation make it the perfect location for business events with a difference.

Compact and walkable cities boasting high-spec event facilities and quality accommodation remove the need for transfers. The catchphrase 'Naturally Beyond Convention' highlights the easy access to New Zealand's huge variety of natural wonders pre or post-event.

Major plans are underway to expand the country's conference capacity. Major new venue set to open in 2018 will add further capacity for large-scale events to the existing array of purpose-built centers, international brand conference hotels and unique venues. Key developments will include the New Zealand International Convention Center in Auckland and new convention centers in Christchurch and Willington.

Tourism New Zealand initiatives to win business include a Conference Assistance Programme (CAP), offering strategic marketing and bid assistance to internationally-affiliated organizations seeking to host a conference of more than 200 international delegates in New Zealand.

Find out more about business events in New Zealand at businessevents.newzealand.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160421/358722

SOURCE Amway China Co., Ltd.