The Brewers Guild of New Zealand has launched the first stage of its revamped beer tourism product – the NZ Ale Trail – to support the brewing, tourism, and hospitality industries.
Following research conducted by Tourism New Zealand, which showed that 85% of visitors to New Zealand have food and drink tasting at the top of their priority list, the Brewers Guild felt the time was right to relaunch the new-look NZ Ale Trail.
Melanie Kees, Executive Director of the Brewers Guild of New Zealand, says the Guild wants to be proactive in supporting both brewers and hospitality businesses by creating a platform that makes it easier for visitors to explore what the industry has to offer.
“The goal is to promote beer tourism as a new and exciting option for those who are looking for an alternative to the usual food and beverage experiences – we’ve taken our industry and turned it into an attraction,” she says.
The nationwide initiative offers an interactive map where visitors can explore brewery and taproom locations, plan a trail, and discover amazing food and beverage experiences right across Aotearoa.
“This is just the beginning, to get it underway for summer and to provide a place for breweries, beer fans, visitors, and locals to check out some new venues they can visit,” says Kees.
“Brewing is fun and vibrant, urban and rural, the industry is year-round, and we’ve got some fantastic sustainability stories to tell as well, so we tick a lot of the boxes of what visitors and locals are looking for.
“Beer and food match beautifully, and the craft of brewing is an attraction in itself; in fact, many venues offer brewery tours, tasting trays, and other activities that offer a fully immersive experience.”
The trail was originally tested in 2020, but with a lull in tourism and pressures on businesses, it was parked until the market was ready for a new proposition.
“Beer tourism is a popular activity in Europe and North America and is, as yet, an ‘untapped’ market in New Zealand,” says Kees.
“Add to that the growth of the craft beer industry in both India and Southeast Asia, we see it as an area of new opportunities for NZ’s brewing, hospitality, and tourism industries.”
Kees said she looks forward to Tourism NZ and regional tourism agencies getting behind this initiative.
“You can have hospitality without tourism, but you can’t have tourism without hospitality, and the NZ Ale Trail will offer both of those in a way that showcases the talent, innovation, and experiences that the local brewing industry has to offer.”
The NZ Ale Trail is open to any venue that offers a wide selection of New Zealand beers or brewing-related experiences.
This article was written by Charlotte Cowan and originally appeared on our sister title, The Shout NZ.