New Zealand
Supertour sets off to Croatia
Monday, 07 May 2018 23:09Ten top performing agents from around New Zealand took off recently on a ‘supertour’ that includes castles, cathedrals, caves and cuisine around Europe’s hottest destination. Participants are the top performing agents across the Globus Family of Brands that includes; Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways.
Mature Kiwis doing domestic: So why aren’t agents selling it?
Monday, 07 May 2018 22:36With the mature New Zealand traveller increasingly open to the option of a small group domestic tour, commission opportunities continue to go begging for travel agents, according to one of the leaders in the field. Ena Hutchinson, director of sales with MoaTrek, says the company saw a 30% growth out of the domestic market in 2017-18 and as a result has added four new tours for the coming season.
Aussie operator moves into NZ
Thursday, 05 April 2018 05:39Localyokl, a curated online platform that connects travellers with local guides around Australia for a more immersive and personalised travel experience, has just announced a New Zealand expansion within the next six months.
‘Our Kiwi cousins are renowned for their adventurous spirit and doing things differently. New Zealand is hearing the demand for more local, unique and immersive experiences by travellers and we see locals helping deliver on that demand,’ says Azra Alagic, co-founder.
BOP in force at eXplore
Tuesday, 03 April 2018 23:00The increase in international visitor numbers to the Bay of Plenty has seen new products in the region become export ready – something that will be reflected in the Bay’s turnout at eXplore 2018.
‘The region’s message is ‘It’s in our Nature’ and our group of operators are all about fitting into the natural beauty and abundance of natural assets we have to offer,’ says Denise Siviter, trade marketing manager Tourism
Porters' mountain bike trails
Wednesday, 28 March 2018 22:23Canterbury ski area Porters has new mountain bike trails that are free to use with three zones catering for beginners to advanced riders.
Porters summer activities co-ordinator Jason Collins says the tracks were designed to be fun for all abilities and ages.
Mt Hutt's open day
Monday, 26 February 2018 22:35Mt Hutt is holding its open day this year on Saturday 3 March, and with Cyclone Gita’s help there is around 50cm of snow.
‘I know some of our die-hard skiers and riders will be very excited, but honestly, we’re not ready for winter just yet,’ says Mt Hutt Ski area manager James McKenzie.
Cordis AKL expansion
Thursday, 08 February 2018 04:53Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group has announced new expansion plans for the recently refurbished Cordis Auckland.
These plans will make the upper upscale hotel the largest in New Zealand in terms of room count and is set to be complete by late 2020, in time for The America’s Cup.
LoveLake fest 2018
Tuesday, 06 February 2018 22:47After the cancellation of Wanderlust, Taupo has a new festival coming to its shores – LoveLake Festival 2018.
LoveLake is a weekend of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and music at Taupo’s Wairakei Resort.
Agroventures gets a new name
Thursday, 01 February 2018 04:25Agroventures Adventure Park is changing its name to Velocity Valley after almost 20 years.
The adventure park first opened in 1998 with the world’s first commercial jet sprint course.
Rees QT gets techy
Tuesday, 30 January 2018 21:15The Rees Queenstown recently rolled out Optii Keeper across its housekeeping department, which services 60 hotel rooms, 90 apartments and five lakeside private residences.
Optii Keeper is a housekeeping system that can dierentiate between a lightly used room occupied by a guest, to one that’s been lived in by a family for days – managing quality and productivity so the housekeeping schedule
Christchurch coming alive
Monday, 22 January 2018 22:32Christchurch is taking advantage of its vibrant street art and mural scene that has become a strong element of the city’s identity.
Visitors can now go deeper and learn more about the individual works and artists behind the artworks by doing a 1.5-hour guided tour through the CBD with Watch This Space.
Rotorua on world stage
Thursday, 18 January 2018 05:14The New York Times has named Rotorua as one of the top places to see in its 52 Places to Go in 2018 list.
Rotorua makes the cut at number 45 – the only New Zealand destination to make the list.
NZ tourism push to Aussies
Monday, 15 January 2018 22:30Tourism New Zealand is promoting the West Coast of the South Island and Northland in a twelve-week campaign to encourage Australians to travel to New Zealand during autumn this year.
Australia is New Zealand’s biggest international visitor market, accounting for nearly half of all international holiday visitors.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall says the latest campaign is a signicant and strategic eort to continue to drive New Zealand’s holiday visitors beyond the popular tourist spots.
NZ holiday parks popular
Monday, 18 December 2017 20:34Kiwi holidaymakers should still be able to find room in a few holiday parks around the country, even when they are so popular right now.
Holiday parks hosted a record 545,000 guest nights in October, up 77,000 (16.4%) on the same month in 2016.
‘This was a bigger increase for October than for hotels, motels or backpackers. Holiday parks have a growing appeal to a wide range of travellers – families, grey nomads and young road trippers,’ says Holiday Parks New
Amadeus NZ – meet the team
Friday, 15 December 2017 01:53Amadeus used this year’s Christmas catch up to introduce a fresh look team.
Emma Donovan is now head of sales for New Zealand / Pacific Islands with Amadeus and has been joined in the sales team by recent starters Janine McCabe, who has had 10 years at STA Travel, and Aloma Butler who
Stay at Slate Hut
Monday, 11 December 2017 20:23Slate Hut at Welcome Rock Trails is a private high country station near Queenstown, on the way to Te Anau.
Guests can now take advantage of an overnight fully guided package – one night’s accommodation with meals included and a guided walk by the owner for the station.
Skyline Enterprises’ expansion
Thursday, 07 December 2017 22:43New Zealand-based tourism company Skyline Enterprises is currently exploring opportunities to develop Luge facilities in Swansea, Wales and Seoul, South Korea.
Although the proposed developments are still in the investigation stages, Skyline Enterprises executive chairman Mark Quickfall says it is hoped that Swansea will be Skyline’s first European destination.
The facility would comprise a gondola system, Luge tracks, chairlift, zip line and restaurant on Kilvey Hill.
Insta-worthy New Zealand
Monday, 04 December 2017 23:18Instagram has named New Zealand’s top ten visitor attractions for 2017, based on the number of images geo-tagged to specific locations.
In 2017 Kiwis and international visitors shared the most pictures from Milford Sound.
Visiting Te Anau
Thursday, 30 November 2017 21:53The visitor centre in Te Anau re-opened on Wednesday, which Real Journeys chief executive Richard Lauder says had to be completely gutted for refurbishment.
‘It’s part of our commitment to continue to invest in Te Anau - the heart of our business,’ he says.
For the musos & film-goers
Monday, 27 November 2017 20:29The Len Lye Centre Cinema in New Plymouth has a range of new events and film screenings happening this year and in 2018.
On 7 December it launches Late Night Cinema on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm.
The Bowie Film Festival coincides with the first year anniversary of the artist’s death in January.
TIA's tourism tips for NZ Govt
Tuesday, 14 November 2017 00:10In Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s recent brief to new Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis, TIA pointed out that tourism is New Zealand’s fastest growing economic contributor, as well as its biggest industry, biggest employer and biggest export sector.
The brief identified some immediate priorities for industry and Government to partner on.
It also makes 24 specific recommendations to the new government that would see tourism increasing its contribution to New Zealand’s economy if implemented.
Into the trees at Rotorua
Thursday, 09 November 2017 22:52A 20-metre-high viewing platform has been added to Rotorua’s popular Redwoods Treewalk.
The activity, located in Rotorua’s famous Redwoods Forest in the heart of the city, already features the world’s longest tree suspended walkway and a collection of David Trubridge lanterns to provide an other-worldly nighttime experience.
Waitangi's latest
Monday, 06 November 2017 22:23The Treaty House at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds has re-opened its doors to the public with a new exhibition installed by Workshop e.
Greg McManus, CEO of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, says the upgrade of the Treaty House is the latest stage of an ongoing project to develop a world-class visitor experience at the Treaty Grounds.
‘The Treaty House, or Busby House as it is sometimes known, was the site of some of the most important events in our nation’s history. It is central to our story as a nation and deserves to be looked after and interpreted well,’ he says.
Skyline QT, 50yrs of stats
Monday, 30 October 2017 22:45Skyline Queenstown has released a number of figures as it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in November with ‘Fifty Years of Fun’ competitions and community-focused events.
Some of the figures over the past 50 years include: Seventeen million gondola rides, 12 million Luge experiences, 850,000 pints of beer, 350,000 rotisserie chickens and 65 tonnes of coffee beans.
Kiwi airports unite
Thursday, 12 October 2017 21:44Queenstown and Wanaka airports are joining airports and aviation-associated agencies around the world to take part in Airport Safety Week.
Held between 16-20 October 2017, this year’s overall theme is One Airport One Team, with a programme of events featuring experts from various aviation, emergency management and health and safety disciplines.
NZ's own Jucy scores big gig
Tuesday, 10 October 2017 20:11Jucy has landed a role in a multi-million dollar global marketing campaign to get more youth travellers to Australia.
The Kiwi accommodation and vehicle rental brand will feature in Tourism Australia’s latest global youth campaign, targeting young international travellers and working holiday makers in key European markets including the UK, Italy, Germany and France.
Mt Ruapehu projects big 2018
Thursday, 28 September 2017 21:21Mt Ruapehu has unveiled its new season pass prices for 2018 and says the response has been overwhelming.
With the company’s best season pass price in over a decade on offer, mtruapehu.com saw a record amount of daily traffic on the first day of the sale, recording over 14,000 page views in the sale’s first 24 hours.
The first Facebook post promoting the sale reached 130,000 in 24 hours, gaining 38,000 views and 2,300 comments, shares and reactions.
Listening to partners key to success, says industry rep
Tuesday, 19 September 2017 02:00Forget about a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach if you’re an industry rep in the travel sector, it just doesn’t work.
Auckland unleashes tourism ambassadors
Friday, 15 September 2017 00:59A new initiative to develop Auckland tourism ambassadors launched this week. The training programme is designed to upskill frontline staff from Auckland tourism businesses, helping them expand their local knowledge, and providing them with simple tools to create positive and memorable experiences for visitors to the region.
Future looks good for Fuzion
Friday, 15 September 2017 00:49Fuzion Travel’s move into new Auckland premises on Dominion Road was marked with an industry open day this week.
All hail Haka – supreme winner
Tuesday, 12 September 2017 22:51The brainchild of Ryan Sanders and a business that has achieved exceptional growth over the past 10 years, Haka Tourism Group has won the tourism industry’s highest accolade, the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award.
Taxing tourism like ‘beating our best cow’
Monday, 11 September 2017 03:00Piling additional taxes on tourism, the number one industry in the country, is like ‘beating our best cow’, according to a speaker and delegate at the Maximum Occupancy Conference in Auckland this week.
Waikato beer and cheese
Tuesday, 05 September 2017 22:50The somewhat unlikely pairing of beer and cheese will be showcased in Waikato for the second time at the end of the month.
Travel to support French event
Tuesday, 22 August 2017 01:03With the first edition of Le French Festival to be held in Auckland on Saturday, New Zealand’s travel industry is already being urged to get behind next year’s celebration of all things France. The brainchild of Edouard Le Goff, co-managing director of Le Chef in Vulcan Lane, Auckland; Le French Festival involves a market during the day on 26 August and a sold out dinner for 500 that night.
New hotels, upmarket trips for Haka Tours
Monday, 21 August 2017 22:54A new brand of mid to upper standard hotels across New Zealand and more upmarket tours are in the pipeline for Haka Tours – known for hosting international visitors in this country but also educational tours around the globe.
Haka Tours founder Ryan Sanders says the first Haka Hotel will be a four star, minimum service ‘trendy hotel’ opening in Day Street, Auckland behind one of the company’s lodges (on Karangahape Rd) in the next three
Students invited to ‘dream big’
Thursday, 17 August 2017 23:05Two Queenstown businesses have joined forces with their local high school to oer a student a scholarship to kickstart their global tourism career. AccorHotels’ four Queenstown hotels have partnered with the Queenstown Resort College to award one Wakatipu High School student with a scholarship covering fifty percent of tuition fees for a Diploma in Hospitality Management.
The art of personalisation
Thursday, 27 July 2017 22:31The inbound and domestic travel trade is growing more aware of how lucrative special interest groups and personalisation can be, according to a niche operator who works across both the leisure and business events sector in New Zealand. Jacqui Wilkinson, director sales and marketing Fine Art Tours NZ, says personalisation is key to certain segments.
NZ Tourism Awards finalists revealed
Monday, 24 July 2017 03:09
Twenty-four leading tourism operators and stakeholders have been announced today as finalists in the 2017 New Zealand Tourism Awards. The finalists span the country from Queenstown to Waitangi and include long-established operators as well as new businesses. Accommodation providers, activity and transport operators, educators and researchers are among the finalists. The Awards are closely aligned with the industry’s Tourism 2025 growth framework, which aims to grow total annual tourism revenue to $41 billion.The winners will be announced at a black-tie dinner in Christchurch on Thursday 7 September.
Medical tourism on the rise
Thursday, 06 July 2017 18:53Medical travel is on the increase and is a growing opportunity for New Zealand travel agents, says one of the well-known operators in that field.
Paul McGowan, director of medical tourism facilitator Stunning Makeovers Limited, says that in the last 12 months the company has seen a 10% increase in clients travelling to Thailand for surgery and dental treatment.
‘Growth from Australasia has been driven by an increase in social media and mainstream media coverage.
DUD site ‘ideal’ for hotel
Tuesday, 04 July 2017 01:46One of the biggest chunks of commercial real estate located on the fringe of Dunedin’s central business district – and adjacent to the city’s education hub – has been placed on the market for sale. The huge 7913 square metre site encompasses five separate adjoining titles between Anzac Avenue and Harrow Street.
Great Barrier to stay in dark
Tuesday, 27 June 2017 23:55Great Barrier Island, 100 kilometres north-east of central Auckland, is the first island in the world to be designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in a bid to protect its night skies for present and future generations.
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) established the International Dark Sky Places conservation programme in 2001 to recognise ‘excellent stewardship of the night sky’.
Designations are based on scientifically measured darkness of sky as well as stringent outdoor lighting standards and innovative community outreach.
Lions tour accom creativity
Thursday, 22 June 2017 22:03With Auckland expecting 34,000 visitors for the upcoming All Blacks vs The British & Irish Lions Test matches, Alexandra Park is reporting solid bookings from fans as an official pop-up camper van site during the two Tests at Eden Park on 24 June and 8 July.
Alexandra Park sales and marketing manager, Joel Reichardt, says the venue is working with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to help the region cope with the influx of visiting British and Irish
Eat, drink and be Welly
Tuesday, 13 June 2017 00:47International visitors spend more on food and beverage in Wellington than anywhere else in the country and that figure could increase even more, with plans to send the city’s winter food festival onto the international stage.
At the launch of the Visa Wellington on a Plate (VWOAP) programme, Wellington Culinary Events Trust Board chair, Fran Wilde, said the annual festival has grown as much as it can grow in its present form.
‘You are going to see an incremental change to get international tourists come here in August.
Lions Tour roars into bed-levy fray
Friday, 12 May 2017 00:07As hotel price gouging during next month’s Lions Tour seems set to be the next weapon in the bed-levy stoush, sporting great Martin Snedden calls for trade and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff to get back to the drawing board.
‘As hard as it is, the best approach for all concerned would be to swallow pride, take the current proposal off the table, and go back to step one – proper consultation,’ he says.
Snedden, director of both the New Zealand Cricket and Auckland World Masters Games 2017, waded into the debate this week saying hotels have played right into Goff’s hands by price gouging during the Masters Games.
Who's coming to NZ & why
Thursday, 11 May 2017 23:39While visitors from Australia, China and America are united in wanting to travel to New Zealand, the reasons for doing so are diversified.
That was apparent during a 2017 Tourism Panel that put the microscope on the needs of these markets and their travellers.
Mario Santander, the country manager of New Zealand for American Airlines, says visitors from the US are on the hunt for golfing experiences and high-end resorts: ‘They want to spend the money to take a helicopter to Waiheke to experience the wineries.’
New hotel a salve for QT
Friday, 05 May 2017 04:34Wyndham Hotel Group yesterday signed its second hotel in Queenstown, helping to plug a shortage of accommodation in the city.
Construction is under way on Wyndham Garden Remarkables, which is slated to open in May next year.
It will be the second Wyndham Garden destination in New Zealand, and Wyndham Hotel Group’s tenth hotel in the country.
New Ramada brand for New Zealand
Tuesday, 02 May 2017 02:35Wyndham Hotel Group will introduce a new brand, Ramada ENCORE, to New Zealand.
The soon-to-be Ramada ENCORE Christchurch Colombo Street is being developed under a franchise agreement with Lepdon Holdings and is slated to be completed in late 2017. Once finished, it will bring Wyndham’s portfolio in New Zealand to nine hotels
Raising the bar in the Capital
Tuesday, 02 May 2017 02:31After a seven-month closure and multi-million dollar refurbishment, the former Mercure Wellington officially rebranded yesterday as the Grand Mercure Wellington.
General manager Leigh Frame says guests and the local industry have been impressed with the transformation.
‘The best response we get is from those who knew the hotel before and see that the change has been quite outstanding.’
McDonald to head Skyline Enterprises
Tuesday, 02 May 2017 02:27Tourism and property company Skyline Enterprises has appointed international business leader Geoff McDonald as the company’s new chief executive.
Rotorua-born and raised McDonald is most recently the former vice president and general manager of global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Australia.
McDonald has spent the past 20 years working in commercial roles across Australia, China, Singapore, South East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Immink resigns as TECNZ head
Tuesday, 02 May 2017 02:03Tourism Export Council NZ (TECNZ) chief executive Lesley Immink has resigned her position after six years of leading the organisation.
Tourism Export Council NZ (TECNZ) Chairman Martin Horgan confirmed Immink will leave the organisation in July.
Marriott's NZ visit takes shape
Friday, 28 April 2017 02:03Agents attending the Marriott Global Sales Mission next month can expect to see a strong line up of hotels from Asia as well as some familiar faces from Australia and the Pacific.
Marieke Mendez, director global sales New Zealand says Marriott Hotels Japan will be among the visitors, as well as two hotels from Vietnam, three from Bali, four from China/Hong Kong/Macao and one from each of Singapore and South Korea.
Marriott Hotels Peru will also add some global depth to the event.
Northland leads in growth
Wednesday, 26 April 2017 02:34Latest data from Statistics New Zealand shows Northland is leading the country in commercial guest night growth and that annual guest nights in the region are fast approaching the two million mark.
In February Northland’s commercial guest night numbers grew 10.5% with an additional 21,000 nights compared to the same month in 2016. This brings the number of commercial guest nights for Northland to 1.905 million a year. Guest nights across the
Rail carts build up speed
Wednesday, 26 April 2017 02:14A new take on cycling a rail trail is gaining traction in the Central North Island.
Forgotten World Adventures has modified golf carts to travel along the Stratford to Okahukura railway line, offering the magic of a rail experience from the perspective of a railcart.
After establishing a solid domestic market since opening for business in 2012, Forgotten World Adventures now has its sights on increasing its international visitors.
NZ farewells cruise season
Wednesday, 26 April 2017 01:29The last ship of the 2016-17 cruise season set sail out of the Bay of Islands yesterday.
Oceania’s Sirena was the last of 41 ships from 22 cruise lines to visit New Zealand this season, Cruise New Zealand executive officer Kevin O’Sullivan says.