Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is happy to announce that we have recently been named one of the 20 Most Surreal Places to visit in the World by Trip Advisor.

We believe this is not only an achievement for Wai-O-Tapu, but for Rotorua and New Zealand as a whole.  With Trip Advisor being the largest, most trusted travel community in the world, which offers a platform for travellers to write reviews on their experiences, it is great that some of New Zealand’s unique natural beauty has been recognised as on par with some of the most surreal places in the world.

Fifty-one New Zealand technology companies have been included in the 2014 Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 Index with travel software company TourWriter making the list for the 3rd year running.

Managing Director Glenn Campbell said “It gets harder every year to achieve the same rate of growth, but we did it! It’s something to be proud of, as only a few New Zealand company have done it for 3 consecutive years”.

In a message to staff Glenn said “Well done everyone, and thanks for all the hard work in helping us achieve it.”

The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific is now in its thirteenth year, and it includes nine Asia Pacific locations: Australia; China (including Hong Kong); India; Japan; South Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; Singapore and Taiwan. Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Technology Fast 500 companies — large, small, public, and private — span a variety of industry sectors, and are transforming the way business is done today.

The Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2011 to 2013 (or 2012 to 2014 for a financial year ending between January and June). Eligibility for the Technology Fast 500 requires that companies own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company’s operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least US$50,000. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of three years, and be headquartered within Asia Pacific. This ranking is compiled from nominations submitted directly to the Technology Fast 500 program, and public company database research.

The official awards ceremony is in 2015 and we look forward to posting some celebration photos.

For further information please get in touch with us : info@tourwriter.com.

Sculptured out of volcanic activity and thousands of years in the making, Wai-O-Tapu is considered to be New Zealand’s most colourful and diverse geothermal sightseeing attraction. Clearly defined tracks provide the visitor with the opportunity to enjoy the diversity of this area through a series of different walks taking from 30 to 75 minutes or more, each with their own unique volcanic vistas to fascinate all ages.

At 10.15am each day there is the opportunity to learn the history and mechanics of the Lady Knox Geyser during a presentation by an informed guide in the natural amphitheatre.

The Geyser Cafe is a self-serve cafe where a range of delicious hot and cold food and beverage is available with both indoor and outdoor seating.

SAVE THE DATES!           Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 August 2015 

Congratulations to Enterprise Dunedin who were successful with their bid to host the 2015 Tourism Export Council Conference!

Big benefits are set to come to Dunedin after it was announced the region will host the 2015 Tourism Export Council Conference. The decision was announced after the Tourism Export Council Board received bids from six competing destinations, 4 from the South Island and 2 from the North Island.

Chief Executive Lesley Immink says that after two years of the Conference being hosted in the North Island, it was great for it to be returned to the far south. The Enterprise Dunedin team put in a ‘winning’ bid with great engagement and support from tour operators Larnach Castle, Scenic Hotel Group and their key stakeholder, the Dunedin District Council.

John Christie, newly appointed Director for Enterprise Dunedin is absolutely delighted. “This is fantastic.  It will bring the top New Zealand inbound holiday destination decision makers to the Dunedin and wider region and give us and every tour operator in the region a real vehicle to promote their products,” he says. “Dunedin last hosted the Conference in 2003 and the region saw a big rise in awareness and visitor numbers surge”.

Mr Christie says being awarded the conference was the culmination of years of hard work by the regional tourism organisation of working closely with inbound operators and educating them about the region. “We can’t under-estimate how much value this conference means to us. It is an exciting opportunity to showcase the Dunedin region and over the coming months we will be calling on other tourism operators in the region to be involved.”

Mrs Immink says that getting tourism operators to different parts of the country is a key part in educating them on the attractions and activities on offer. “Dunedin has a growing reputation as a visitor destination and we know that Enterprise Dunedin will do a great job in ensuring that delegates from around New Zealand and overseas will see it at its very best.”

The dates for the August 2015 conference are Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 August. 

Tourplan “Top Ten” Winners

Alongside co-winners Cisco Systems, EMC, Google Adwords, IBM, McAfee, Microsoft Surface Support, PTC and Red Hat in the Open Division, Tourplan and SirsiDynix were named winners in the Small Company Division (annual revenues below $500 million).

Award winners were selected by a panel of judges with expertise in Web support design and implementation, using a scoring system based on 25 separate performance criteria including:

• Overall usability, design, and navigation
• Knowledgebase and search implementation
• Interactive features
• Community engagement
• The major site development challenge

Tourplan’s site along with the other 9 winners will be profiled in a book called “The Ten Best Web Support Sites of 2014”, to be published later in the year..

“Consultant support though our global office network has a tradition of outstanding quality and we are pleased to be recognised by ASP as extending that same quality into our online support services” says Tourplan founder and CEO Peter Trumic.

The Association of Support Professionals is an international professional trade association. In addition to its annual “Ten Best” awards, the ASP publishes research reports on a wide range of support topics.

Tourplan has 5 international offices housing 70 staff with headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand. Tourplan develops, distributes and services its system to 300 major tour operators in 57 countries.

Wellington – 8 September 2014 – TourWriter, the Software company developed for inbound tour operators, announced today it was recently selected as a finalist in the Red Herring’s Top 100 Asia award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s 100 most promising private technology ventures from the Asia Pacific business region.

The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across Asia, Australasia and the Pacific. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technological innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of company track records and standings, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list a valuable tool for discovering and advocating for the best business opportunities in the industry.

“Entrepreneurship in Asia has reached an inflexion point, and as a result Red Herring Asia 2013, has shifted into a new phase,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. ” A second generation of entrepreneurs with CEO backgrounds is emerging and their execution skills and global ambitions lead to restless growth and amazing journeys. As importantly, we are seeing more companies from countries once absent from innovation circles. TourWriter shows great promise and therefore deserves to be among the finalists. Now we’re faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring Asia. We know that the 2013 crop will reward us for long and continued efforts in scouting disruptive companies in Asia. The wealth of talent and achievements displayed by Red Herring Asia finalists is an excellent predictor for the new world rising.”

The finalists presented their winning strategies at the Red Herring Asia Forum in Hong Kong, August 25-27, 2014, and TourWriter was selected as one of The Top 100 winners at a special awards ceremony the evening of Sept. 5 at the event and is now will be measured against the worlds best at the Global Red Herring awards in in Los Angeles in November, as part of the “best in show” gathering.

TourWriter’s Managing Director Glenn Campbell commented “I am thrilled for TourWriter to have been recognized as 1 of only 2 software companies from New Zealand, and the only one from the Tourism industry.  The award is recognition for not only it’s rapid growth (now being in 30 countries, having picked up some great clients such as Tourism New Zealand), but also it’s business strategy and management.  Looking ahead, TourWriter have some exciting developments on the way as they begin development of a Mobile Itinerary App that will enable travellers to see their itineraries on their devices as they travel and communicate with the Tour operator via their device. The long term intention is to allow the travelers to also book relevant optional activities, restaurants and accommodation as they travel – with the Tour Operator being able to gain recognition for the incremental business they bring to the operators.”

Released at the Tourism Conference 2014 was the new guide on “how to work with a New Zealand Inbound Tour Operator”.

The “Planning for Inbound Success” manual is designed to provide operators with the basic tools, knowledge and key contacts needed to enter the export tourism market including: 

• Understand the travel distribution system
• Research international markets to establish who will use your products
• Recognise the different styles of inbound travellers
• Information on pricing your product and working with international trade
• Key contacts and links for better access to tourism data and research

TECNZ members will receive a hard copy and ‘e-versions’ of the Manual will be available via their password protected area of their website listing. If they would like to receive additional hard copies, there will be a small fee of $10 per copy + postage.

Other industry operators will be able to purchase the Manual in either hard or e-copy form with the price still to be determined. Click here to see “Planning for Inbound Success – Contents page” of the Manual.

For more information please email: info@tourismexportcouncil.org.nz

INAUGURAL YOUNG TEC EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER!

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand announced today at the national tourism conference awards event held at the Claudelands Event Centre, the winner of the inaugural Young TEC Excellence award with Dylan Rushbrook, Director of International Sales SKYCITY Hotels as the first recipient. 

As the winner he receives a sponsored prize of:

• Two week professional development placement in one of Tourism New Zealand’s international offices
•  Return economy flights sponsored by Air New Zealand
•  Accommodation at an Accor Hotel Property
• $1,000 spending money from Tourism Export Council for overseas expenses

The award recognises the outstanding efforts and contribution to the development of New Zealand’s tourism industry by a Young TEC member under the age of 36 years and their company is a Tourism Export Council member. Applicants had to, in a written submission outline their key achievements to date, how the achievements contributed to the growth of their company, what their personal professional ambition was and share their vision of the tourism industry in 10-15 years’ time. The written submissions were scored by four judges to select three finalists.

The finalists who were Dylan Rushbrook – SKYCITY Hotels, Judy Chen – Grand Chancellor Hotels and Loren Heaphy of Nelson Tasman Tourism had to attend an interview with the judges who then selected the winner based on their responses to key questions and leadership potential.

President Martin Horgan of the Tourism Export Council and Head Judge is enthused and says “the judges were impressed with the calibre of the finalists and all three have contributed in meaningful and measureable ways to their businesses. The award and prize is an amazing opportunity for our young people to plan for a long career in tourism and demonstrates the Tourism Export Councils commitment to succession planning and professional development of our future tourism leaders. We are very grateful to our sponsors Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand and Accor Hotels who didn’t hesitate when approached to support this award.”

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says it’s fantastic to see the industry identify and support the people who will shape its future. “Through programmes like Young TEC and this new award, the industry is really embracing the new ideas and fresh perspective that comes from the younger generation of tourism professionals.

 “Acknowledging success and providing ongoing professional development are core parts of Tourism New Zealand’s culture so we are pleased to be able to offer our support to the Young TEC Excellence Award”.

The judges were: Martin Horgan – Tourism Export Council; Deborah Gray – Tourism New Zealand; Jenny Simpson – Air New Zealand and John Farrell – Accor Hotels.

Top tour operators recognised by industry

Two of New Zealand’s top operators have been recognised as the best in the business by their industry peers at an awards dinner held at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton at the annual Tourism Conference.

Pacific Destinationz was named as the Inbound Tour Operator of the Year, while local Waikato operator Hobbiton Movie Set Tours received the Operator of the Year Award 2014.

Pacific Destinationz – “Inbound Tour Operator of the Year” 2014

For the third year running, allied members of the Tourism Export Council have voted Pacific Destinationz their number one inbound tour operator. In recognition of being a third time winner, Pacific Destinationz was also presented with a “Distinction Triple Winner Award”. The team at Pacific Destinationz are truly honoured and humble in accepting the awards. Managing Director Mark Badland says “to be awarded the prestigious Inbound Tour Operator of the Year in 2012, 2103 and now 2014 is not only an overwhelming experience, but one that inspires us to continue to strive for excellence, and continues to motivate in an industry that we are passionate for. With a stable committed team with multiple language skills, the company fully realises this award is true recognition of the outstanding work of the PDNZ family”.

Pacific Destinationz Limited is a wholly New Zealand owned company operating as a wholesale inbound tour company in New Zealand and Fiji. Pacific Destinationz continues to offer a full range of product to developing markets such as Southern Europe and South America and following recent acquisitions is fast establishing themselves in other traditional markets. They constantly review and improve their approach to technology and are committed to maintaining their position at the forefront of an ever-evolving global travel industry.

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours – “Tour Operator of the Year” 2014

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours was absolutely stoked to be nominated for a second year in the Operator of Year category. They are humbled and believe their nominator best summed up the reason for their nomination.

“Hobbiton embodies what TECNZ wants in an Operator of the Year! For inbound members they work well with wholesale, travel offshore to market and continually improve, invest and upgrade their product. Hobbiton is a world class product who understands and appreciates how distribution works”.

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours based in Matamata Waikato, is a family owned sheep and beef farm which has grown into a major tourist icon business, operating since the Lord of the Rings Trilogy released in 1999. The set was rebuilt in 2011 for The Hobbit films and continues to grow visitor numbers year on end. Owner Russell Alexander says “thank you to our inbound partners and TECNZ for recognising Hobbiton as the Operator of the Year. Our main focus has been working with trade and the one item I love paying is commission – we value our relationships with those who can promote and sell us offshore and look forward to working together in which should be a very exciting year!”