Fullers360 Experiences & Cruises unifies the Hauraki Gulf, connecting friends and whanau and unlocking treasured New Zealand destinations. Fullers360 offers a range of tourism experiences including eco-adventures on the volcanic Rangitoto Island and the wildlife sanctuaries of Tiritiri Matangi Island and Rotoroa Island. Ferries sail to Devonport’s historic seaside village and connect with our winery tours and extensive bus network on Waiheke Island. Fullers360 is owned by Fullers Group Ltd., the leading ferry & Cruise provider in Auckland for over 35 years.
Registrations are now available for the networking event of the year! This year the Conference is hosted by Destination Wairarapa, Masterton at the Copthorne Solway Hotel from 20-23 August 2013. Click here to see the registration forms and Conference programme 2013
Tuhura are smartphone/tablet/iPad Apps that enable travellers throughout New Zealand to connect with local people telling local stories.
Tuhura is for the traveller who wants to discover the background, legends and local stories behind the places they visit. Wi-Fi enabled, Tuhura uses short film clips (about 90 secs) to tell the stories of New Zealand-Aotearoa’s history and culture. The six hours (over 500 film clips) of deep travel video content is being added to weekly and can be selected by GPS location, NZ map or date.
Auckland, Northland, Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Wellington, Nelson/Tasman, Marlborough, Otago/Queenstown, Otago Central Rail-Trail – all have extensive coverage. Other locations are being added regularly. Chinese, Japanese and Korean versions will be available by mid-2013 in their respective language app stores.
Price to download: Tuhura lite (free version); Regions $NZ2.59; National $NZ4.19.
Founded in 2010, LNZ International Travel Service is located in Auckland, New Zealand. The company is endorsed by Qualmark New Zealand as an Inbound Tour Operator and also is an approved ADS Inbound Tour Operator. We arrange a variety of inbound tours travelling around New Zealand and outbound group visits to Australia and the Pacific Islands. We also design and organise personalised travel packages including honeymoons, fishing, hunting, golf and diving, as well as business and property investigation.
INSIDE TOURISM – EXPORT MATTERS Visiting members over the summer I’m pleased to report that for the most, operators are having a better season than expected. The weather has been the obvious ‘star’ but following closely on the rising moon is the number of FIT Chinese visitors getting out and about to the regions of New Zealand. Tourism New Zealand and inbound operators have been advising industry to start preparing for the new Chinese visitor and that they may not be who you think they are.
What is the general perception of our Chinese visitor? It is a group package visitor who stays in New Zealand 3 nights and predominantly visits Auckland and Rotorua. How could they possibly appreciate New Zealand in only 3 days you might ask? Well the reality is, New Zealand is not their holiday destination, only their stopover on the way back to China after visiting Australia. It’s similar to kiwis going to Europe and saying they have been to France when they only stayed in Paris for 3 nights. Hopefully, that ‘taste’ is enough to encourage them back again, and often it is.
The above mentioned visitors in the industry are known as the ADS Dual Destination Shopping Tour groups which up until the last few years were 75% of our Chinese visitors. ADS stands for “approved destination status” which is an agreement between the Chinese and New Zealand governments (1999) which lets’ holiday travellers visit a country in a tour group. In recent years NZ Chinese inbound tour operators have been working with Tourism New Zealand and trade to encourage more ‘mono’ (NZ only) destination tours and the percentage of FIT visitors coming to New Zealand on FIT/ADS and non ADS visas, is increasing. This is to the benefit of the industry as they generally stay longer and spend more. At December 2012, this percent had dropped to 65% and with the new PKP (preferred kiwi partnership) programme being initiated by Tourism New Zealand, we look forward to more independent Chinese visitors travelling further to the regions.
The new visitor is likely to well educated, younger and keen to self drive. Operators should be taking steps now to improve the satisfaction levels of these discerning consumers with translations and signage even though they are likely to be able to speak English. They are more interested in “feeling” the product and getting up close to nature and adventure activities. They are experienced travellers having already visited Asia, North America and Europe and big users of technology and social media.
Discussions between the private sector and government agencies demonstrate a common goal of delivering a world class experience to our valued Chinese visitors. If private sector operators deliver the experience on the ground by learning more about their culture, language and protocols and government assists behind the scenes minimising barriers to travel, then together we are well on the way to exceeding the Chinese visitor travel experience and expectations.
Experience Tekapo Springs for the perfect mix of relaxation and recreation in beautiful Lake Tekapo in the heart of the South Island! Soak up the amazing views from the three hot pools or chill out in the cooler pools with Aqua Play Area. Detox in the steam and sauna rooms or enjoy a massage or facial at the day spa. Ice skate on the outdoor rink, experience the thrill of a 150-metre snow tube then refuel at the Altitude 720 Café & Bar. By night, join a tour of Tekapo Star Gazing; learn about the incredible dark sky reserve with high-powered telescopes then slip into a 38°C hot pool and soak in the stars! Open 364 days per year.
Soar through the trees and experience New Zealand’s ancient forest like never before – in an award-winning zipline adventure. Journey in small intimate groups with authentic Kiwi guides through this beautiful land the way it once was, in a unique eco-tour experience that puts you at the heart of the forest restoration story. With a portion of each ticket invested in conservation, this number one ranked outdoor experience in New Zealand (Trip Advisor) is an adventure activity with brain and heart.
Get below the surface, above the trees, learn about the past and become part of the future.
Tourism Business Magazine – Feb Mar 2013
The 2012/2013 season seems to have got off to a better start than expected. During the conference last year operators were ‘pretending’ to be cautiously optimistic. By the December Xmas Symposium the mood had changed to being ‘cautiously’ optimistic and after a round of visiting operators in Queenstown and Rotorua, I’m pleased to report that for many operators, the season is going better than expected with many ‘optimistic’ that the season is better than last year.
One of the questions I have been asking operators is what is your group versus FIT (free independent traveller) percentage? This is answered quickly as a common breakdown statistic operators have being keeping for years. The next question of “what percentage of your FIT business is pure direct versus FIT business coming from an inbound tour operator?” This question caused some pause with some replies ‘not sure’. The reason I asked this is because, as the nature of how your visitors come to you has changed over the last few years with stronger internet, website and social media intelligence, there has been the perception that inbound tour operators are on their way out.
Not so. The traditional distribution channels have certainly had a shake up with a decline in group business and rise in FIT’s, but what some suppliers don’t realise is that inbound operators have changed their business models to accommodate this. Your FIT statistics should demonstrate those who are vouchred by an inbound operator, those who book online via your own website, those who book locally via the i-site or accommodation referral, and those who come to you via an online travel operator.
The short lead in time was another area of discussion. No real surprise there but considering only a few years ago we were talking about 18-24 months brochuring in advance with inbound tour operators, today’s ‘sales environment is quite instant and often geared by airline prices to New Zealand.
By the way, when discussing group business versus FIT, all operators said they prefer coach loads of visitors arriving at a pre determined time rather than not know how many FIT visitors per day ‘could arrive’. Supplier members strongly encourage our inbound operators to “keep getting the group business”. The western markets are our strongest FIT travellers so we need to perhaps look at new group business potentially coming from Eastern Europe (Russia), the UAE and Brazil in coming years.
Although none of the above are on Tourism New Zealand’s top tiers of marketing spend, be assured that the modern inbound tour operator are always thinking of ‘growth and how to make money”. If all decision across the industry – both private and public sectors (particularly policy) were made on this basis, then our economy would be in a better place.
All the best that the remainder of the season produces a better than expected result.
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We are proud to be a locally owned and operated Company with customer safety and satisfaction our number one focus. Our attractions have delivered outstanding experiences to over 7 million customers since 1992, so why not book our products today and see why we can offer you the very best of activities in Christchurch and Hanmer Springs!
Christchurch Attractions has all of the best Christchurch attractions to offer you – experience tranquil gardens or thrilling activities such as jetboating and bungy jumping in Hanmer Springs! Sink back into the velvet cushions of your boat as the Edwardian punter gently glides you down the Avon River, through the beautiful historic inner city of Christchurch. Whatever the time you have to spend, there are lots of things to do in Christchurch. You’ll find it easy to fit our attractions into your itinerary.
Christchurch Attractions offers you the best of Christchurch.
INSIDE TOURISM – EXPORT MATTERS
There has been some talk recently in the media about the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign – not as its effectiveness as a marketing campaign or how can we be 100% Middle Earth when we are at the bottom of the world (or the top depending on your perspective) but should we use a campaign slogan of 100% Pure in regards to our environmental status?
The 100% Pure New Zealand campaign was first delivered to the world in 1999 and I remember with excitement the range of opportunities the 100% Pure destination marketing campaign presented to different operators.
‘100% Pure New Zealand’ tells the story of how our landscape, people and activities combine to deliver a visitor experience that is unique to New Zealand. It is a tourism marketing campaign that has proven very adaptable across all markets and media. The statement is multidimensional – it has been used as 100% pure relaxation, 100% pure welcome, 100% pure adrenalin, 100% pure luxury, 100% pure you, etc. – all connected back to the core premise of 100% Pure New Zealand.
In Tourism New Zealand’s 2012 international visitor survey, our landscapes and natural scenery got an overall rating of 9.5 out of 10 – the highest rating in the survey. 8 out of 10 international visitors say that the environmental practices of the New Zealand tourism industry are better than in other countries – and that overall the New Zealand environment is being managed sustainably. In fact not only have we won the best destination marketing campaign for the 100% Middle Earth as per the World Travel Awards 2012, TNZ and the 100% campaign have won numerous other awards over the period of 13 years the campaign has been operating.
100% Pure is not an environmental or ‘clean and green’ claim. Tourism operators in New Zealand are responsible caregivers of the environment and are proud to share with our visitors their commitment to being as sustainable as possible. More than 1,000 New Zealand tourism businesses have met the strict criteria and hold an Enviro Award status and on an international scale this represents one of the largest clusters of recognised sustainable tourism providers. Our partnership with DOC (Department of Conservation) is a great example of working between the private and public sectors both via the concession and the conservation programmes.
While the media and general public are at liberty to make comment re the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, the literal translation of 100% pure has been taken too literally and the evidence produced less scientific and more of a ‘gestimate’. Can we do better with our sustainability and environmental position? Yes of course but for the media to portray the country as an environmental disaster is potentially more damaging to the future of our tourism export receipts than the high dollar.
While I appreciate there is a spectrum of opinion re the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, let’s make sure the discussion is around its effectiveness in marketing New Zealand rather than an ad hoc environmental score card.