New Zealand is a country which takes its tourism seriously – the Ministry of Business, Innovations and Employment publishes monthly data on spend by domestic and international tourists. It does this because it needs to monitor the success, or otherwise, of Tourism New Zealand’s efforts to grow the tourism yield and improve its distribution throughout the country. Contrast this with the primitive focus on arrivals in much international discussion of tourism. The Ministry of Business, Innovations and Employment is not the line ministry for Tourism New Zealand. They take a more whole of government approach to tourism in New Zealand – and it works. Despite New Zealand being one of…