Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) and Hotel Council Aotearoa (HCA) are pleased to announce a partnership to further strengthen hotel sector advocacy and representation in New Zealand.
The strategic partnership aligns TIA’s extensive tourism industry network with HCA’s deep expertise in the hotel sector and will bring the hotel membership of both associations together.
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The joint membership arrangement and strategic partnership involves all HCA hotel members becoming full members of TIA.
TIA hotel members will transition to HCA as their primary association, while still maintaining full membership of TIA.
As the result of this new partnership, hotels will be able to access two industry association memberships while paying one combined membership fee.
This will ensure sector-specific representation through HCA while supporting TIA’s position as the representative association for tourism. Following the transition period, the combined membership of HCA and TIA is anticipated to exceed 240 hotels and 26,000 guest rooms, or almost 9.5 million available room nights per annum.
Rebecca Ingram, Chief Executive of TIA, says the relationship is an important step forward for both associations and responds to hotel member feedback.
The goal is to ensure hotel members are best served by the two valued associations.
“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the history of HCA and TIA. By enabling joint membership, we are committing to share resources and expertise, and we can offer unparalleled support and advocacy for our hotel members.
“This partnership not only unifies the hotel sector but also strengthens our collective voice, enabling us to achieve greater outcomes for the entire tourism industry,” said Ingram.
James Doolan, Strategic Director of HCA, also emphasized the importance of this initiative.
“The joint membership arrangement with TIA is a response to the call from the industry for closer collaboration between industry associations, particularly around key lobbying issues that impact on the hotel sector’s long-term success.
“Together, HCA and TIA are a compelling offering that delivers enhanced value, outstanding events and passionate representation for our members.”
Over the last twelve months TIA and HCA have been working together in a more co-ordinated way, and TIA was pleased to welcome James Doolan on to the TIA Board in October 2023 as the Hotel Sector representative. James remains a TIA board member after today’s announcement.
The partnership will formally begin on July 1, 2024.
Members of both associations are being communicated with directly regarding the transition.
Sarah is a freelance journalist with experience across print, digital and audio. After working for Multimedia Publishing as a contributing writer, she has recently joined the team in a part-time capacity for School News AU and AccomNews.