Types of Members & Benefits

The Tourism Export Council is a collective of Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) and Allied Members.

The Tourism Export Council ITOs endeavour to support and market Allied Member products because they meet quality standards and offer the overseas visitor a New Zealand experience to remember.

Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs)

The Inbound Tour Operator’s (ITOs) skill is to understand the interests, needs and cultures of overseas markets, and keep abreast of New Zealand product development. Through their work in generating bookings for suppliers and handling land arrangements for overseas travel companies, TECNZ ITOs make a substantial contribution to New Zealand’s rapidly growing inbound tourism industry.

They provide a vital link between the suppliers of New Zealand tourism product and the overseas travel companies who buy it. As specialists in inbound tourism, Inbound Members promote and sell New Zealand travel packages to offshore buyers such as wholesalers, travel agents, meeting planners and event managers.

ITOs also play an important role as tourism ‘brokers’ for overseas travel companies, providing a wide range of services including advice on product, price and availability, coordination of travel arrangements and payments, and supervision of product delivery.

You can learn more about how to work with ITOs by reviewing the “Planning for Inbound Success” Manual.

Inbound Member Benefits:

An association that understands inbound tourism
Inbound Member tour operators are the core membership of the Tourism Export Council. Our aim is to deliver and service commercial relationships between companies across the travel distribution chain. We are the only association that focuses entirely on the inbound tourism sector.

TECNZ ITO Membership benefits 2024/2025 – Why Invest?

Industry influence and advocacy
The Tourism Export Council is your voice to the industry and Government at the highest levels. We actively listen to your feedback and recommendations, ensuring your views on critical issues that impact on your business and development are heard. We work closely with Tourism New Zealand, the Tourism Industry Aotearoa and other major tourism stakeholder organisations eg. DOC, so that the Industry
is unified and well focused. We advocate on behalf of our members when regulatory barriers and compliance costs impinge on business competitiveness.

Your Tourism Export Council annual subscription includes your TIA annual membership fee making you a member of both organisations.

Major savings on DOC—Department of Conservation ‘guiding’ concessions fees. The Tourism Export Council has an agreement with DOC re a New Zealand wide concession and the 10 year concession plan fee.

Quality standards & Qualmark
The Tourism Export Council is all about upholding quality standards and each Inbound member tour operator has confirmed their commitment to our shared mission, the Tourism Export Council Code of Ethics and Practice and our common pledge. This includes a commitment by all Inbound members to become Qualmark endorsed inbound tour operators.

Your Tourism Export Council annual subscription includes your Qualmark annual license fee

Tourism Trade Checklist
Free access to a centralised online Tourism Trade Checklist supplier database that will improve your efficiency in operations!

Business networking opportunities & education
Your attendance to the Tourism Export Councils Annual New Zealand Conference (August) and the Xmas Symposium (December in Auckland) is designed to build long term commercial relationships between Inbound and allied members, maximise business growth opportunities and exchange ideas with industry colleagues. Inbound member forums are held 2-3 times each year to discuss issues that are of specific interest to inbound operators.

Marketing
The Tourism Export Council and its members are investigating and investing in new visitor markets and updating our partners on emerging trends. A comprehensive website that is easy to navigate allows for information searches and promotion of members and their own business updates. If Inbound tour operators wish to work with Tourism New Zealand in promoting New Zealand off shore to recruit potential clients, then they must be Qualmark endorsed.

$ Your annual membership subscription includes a free business listing on the Tourism Export Council website & opportunities to provide member updates

Communication
The Tourism Export Council communicates with its members through regular newsletters and emails.

$ Your annual membership subscription ensures you receive free regular E-Newsletters, emails affecting direct inbound member only issues, updates and surveys that canvass all Tourism Export Council related issues.

Allied Members

The Allied Member is a supplier of tourism products and services to Inbound Members. These range from accommodation, attractions, activities, transport providers and services like web design and accounting. An Allied Member must abide by the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Code of Ethics and Practice, Constitution and Rules, and maintain a recognised standard of quality, e.g. Qualmark. Allied Members have voting rights and as such have three representatives on the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Board of Directors.

Allied Member Benefits:

“The Tourism Export Council’s core aim is to stimulate business opportunities for members”

An association that understands inbound tourism
Inbound tour operator members are the core membership of the Tourism Export Council.
Our aim is to connect them with Allied member product suppliers to develop and service commercial relationships across the travel distribution chain. We are the only association that focuses entirely on the inbound tourism sector

TECNZ Allied Membership benefits 2024/2025 – Why Invest?

Quality standards
Allied members know that when they use a Tourism Export Council inbound tour operator they are dealing with an operator committed to quality. The Tourism Export Council is all about upholding quality standards and each inbound member tour operator has confirmed their commitment to our shared mission, the Tourism Export Council Code of Ethics and Practice and our common pledge. This
includes a commitment by inbound members to become Qualmark endorsed inbound tour operators.

Tourism Trade Checklist
Member discount to be part of a centralised online Tourism Trade Checklist supplier database that will improve your efficiency in operations!

Business networking opportunities & education
Your attendance to the Tourism Export Councils Annual New Zealand Conference (August) and the Xmas Symposium (December in Auckland) is designed to build long term commercial relationships between inbound and allied members, maximise business growth opportunities and exchange ideas with industry colleagues. Allied member forums is held once a year at conference to discuss issues that are of specific interest to allied operators.

$ Your annual membership subscription includes a free business listing on the Tourism Export Council website & opportunities to provide member updates

Communication
The Tourism Export Council communicates with its members through regular newsletters and emails.

$ Your annual membership subscription ensures you receive free regular E-Newsletters, updates and surveys that canvass all Tourism Export Council related issues.

Young Tourism Export Council group

Membership to the Young Tourism Export Council will provide networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities for young people 18-40 years or newbies working in the tourism industry. Visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec for more information.

2024 membership fee

$50+GST / for an individual
$200+GST / small organisation – capped for up to 10 employees
$500+GST / large organisation – capped for up to 20 employees

*Fees for events are additional

Life Members

Life Members are those who have been awarded and recognised for their outstanding service to the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand. Visit our Life Member page for more information.