Ex-RWC boss Snedden tapped to lead tourism lobby

Friday 30th March 2012

Martin Snedden, who led the company in charge of managing last year’s Rugby World Cup, has been tapped to lead New Zealand’s national tourism lobby group.

The Tourism Industry Association, which merges with the Hotel Council next month, has appointed Snedden as chief executive effective from June, the lobby group said in a statement.

That comes after Snedden’s oversight of what has been regarded as a successful sporting event last year where visitors spent about $390 million, according to government figures.

“We believe Martin’s appointment will further strengthen tourism industry representation at the national level, and help TIA achieve even better outcomes for its members,” chairman Norm Thompson said. “He’s very keen to become more deeply involved in the industry, which delivers $9.7 billion in foreign exchange to our economy every year.”

Before his RWC appointment, Snedden was the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket for six years after practising as a lawyer for a decade. He played international cricket for New Zealand through the 1980s.

The Rugby World Cup prompted the lobby group to can its Tourism Industry Awards last year as its members focused on wooing visitors in New Zealand for the event against the backdrop of a tepid economy.

The association said it didn’t want to distract operators from preparing for the rugby, and that the Canterbury earthquakes had also been a drag on the sector.

(BusinessDesk)

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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