Be careful what you wish for.
That's the message from one tourism group after the Government signed up to a China-New Zealand Year of Tourism.
The Tourism Export Council warns infrastructure is already creaking under the pressure of record growth.
Over 400,000 Chinese tourists arrived last year, and now there's a push for more in 2019 - the China New Zealand Year of Tourism.
But there's a warning.
"We need to be careful about how we aspire to the growth in tourism," says Tourism Export Council of New Zealand CEO Lesley Immink.
"We don't need to necessarily have it as double digit growth."
Tourism infrastructure is already groaning under the pressure, so can we cope with more?
"Yeah we can - we have new hotels coming up all the time, we are not full, particularly attracting those high value Chinese tourists that spend a lot of money," says Minister of Tourism Paula Bennett.
Chinese tourists spent $1.7 billion last year, in five years that's expected to jump to $5 billion.
It's because the type of tourist is changing.
Four years ago three-quarters of tourists were here on low value Chinese government-approved package tours.
This February that changed, with more independent travellers.
Tourism New Zealand is trying to encourage those new travellers to come off peak and visit the regions.
But the new hotspots will need new infrastructure and New Zealand is already playing catch up.
"The freedom camping and the public toilets is the number one issue, then looking medium long-term strategy at hotel inventory and then you have the ports, roading and signage," says Ms Immink.
Fancy hotels may be on the way in some tourist hotspots, but other smaller councils need basic amenities like carparks and toilets.
Ms Bennett says she's prepared to help.
If it's not addressed, New Zealand's tourism reputation may get caught short.
Newshub.
