Merit Travel Group has announced that Dirk Baerts has been appointed President, MeritBiz, the corporate travel management (CTM) arm of Canadian-based Merit Travel Group, effective immediately.
Baerts will lead the CTM teams and continue to develop its offerings and services across North America. He will also be actively involved in the global expansion of the MeritBiz programs. Prior to joining MeritBiz, Baerts worked for Egencia, Expedia’s corporate travel company, as Managing Director Canada since 2011, following his appointment as Country Manager in Belgium in 2009. He also held various senior management positions at leading technology companies in Europe, Asia and Japan over a 15-year period.
Transat has also announced a new appointment: Susan Kooiman, who has been promoted to Senior Business Development Representative. Since joining Transat in 2002, Kooiman has proven herself as an advocate for the agencies in her assigned territory. In her new role, she will focus on developing business opportunities and provide support to select retail partners, including large call centres, home-based travel networks and specialty agencies.
In other Transat news, Heidi Lord will be assuming the territory of Eastern Ontario (Scarborough – Kingston), bringing with her 15 years of sales experience in the industry. She continues to report directly to Dan Prior, Sales Manager.
Transat is currently recruiting for the role of Business Development Representative, Toronto & Northern Ontario.
Tourism New Zealand has welcomed Stephen England-Hall as its new Chief Executive Officer. England-Hall will assume his new role in April following three years as Chief Executive Officer at Loyalty New Zealand. He also has previous work experience in the United Kingdom and North America as Chief Marketing Officer with Syncapse Corporation and Chief Executive Officer for Razorfish in London. Razorfish is Tourism New Zealand’s global media agency.
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label Tourism New Zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourism New Zealand. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 January 2017
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
NEW ZEALAND: Earthquakes Affect Tourism in New Zealand
Tourism operators have been affected by the earthquakes.
New Zealand's booming tourism industry is at risk of being harmed by the South Island earthquakes, forcing the government and operators into damage control in overseas markets.
Prime Minister John Key and tourism organisations say there is a risk overseas markets will get the wrong idea about the size of the area affected.
One Chinese inbound operator said there had been a lot of discussion about the earthquakes at a travel trade event in Shanghai yesterday but she had not been told of any cancellations from groups or individuals.
The Chinese market grew at nearly 24 per cent to more than 400,000 in the last year but is susceptible to shocks such as natural disasters and terrorism, which had deterred tourists from China visiting Europe in the last 12 months.
China Travel Services founder Lisa Li said because there wasn't a high death toll from this week's quakes she did not think visitors would be put off.
Her firm had posted video on social media showing tourists continuing to enjoy their holidays.
Campervan rental company Tourism Holdings said it was helping re-route visitors around the affected area.
"The industry appears very aligned, that we are open for business across the country,'' said Tourism Holdings chief executive Grant Webster.
''Every destination in the world has its own idiosyncrasies and the feedback I have heard from the team talking to customers on the ground is that even those trapped in Kaikoura are looking to carry on as normal.''
Tourism Export Council chief executive Lesley Immink said while the China market ''took a big gulp",' she had heard no reports of cancellations.
''The positive stories about how New Zealand deals with adversity far outweigh the negative ones.''
There were other parts of the world that suffered from disasters on a far more frequent basis than New Zealand.
The positive stories about how New Zealand deals with adversity far outweigh the negative ones.Lesley Immink, CEO Tourism Export Council
Tourism New Zealand is charged with marketing the country overseas and said its current focus was on working alongside other agencies and the industry to get accurate information about the current situation in New Zealand, out to trade partners.
''We want people to understand that much of New Zealand is unaffected by the recent quakes and that there are many alternatives available to people who wish to travel here, but have concerns,'' said spokeswoman Deborah Gray.
''In the coming weeks we will look at whether specific campaigns are needed in response to this week's events.''
Prime Minister John Key said the risk was serious.
''The thing I don't like about it is these images were all around the world, we did quite a bit of international media, people cut off your coverage, people just worry about earthquakes," Key, who is also Tourism Minister, told TVNZ's Breakfast.
"We need to reassure people that the quality of our buildings is very high, truthfully still, the probability of an earthquake is very low, and we're good at handling that."
The way the country handled and coped with tourists after disasters was critically important, Key said.
We need to reassure people that the quality of our buildings is very high, truthfully still, the probability of an earthquake is very low, and we're good at handling that.
New Zealand's booming tourism industry is at risk of being harmed by the South Island earthquakes, forcing the government and operators into damage control in overseas markets.
Prime Minister John Key and tourism organisations say there is a risk overseas markets will get the wrong idea about the size of the area affected.
One Chinese inbound operator said there had been a lot of discussion about the earthquakes at a travel trade event in Shanghai yesterday but she had not been told of any cancellations from groups or individuals.
The Chinese market grew at nearly 24 per cent to more than 400,000 in the last year but is susceptible to shocks such as natural disasters and terrorism, which had deterred tourists from China visiting Europe in the last 12 months.
China Travel Services founder Lisa Li said because there wasn't a high death toll from this week's quakes she did not think visitors would be put off.
Her firm had posted video on social media showing tourists continuing to enjoy their holidays.
Campervan rental company Tourism Holdings said it was helping re-route visitors around the affected area.
"The industry appears very aligned, that we are open for business across the country,'' said Tourism Holdings chief executive Grant Webster.
''Every destination in the world has its own idiosyncrasies and the feedback I have heard from the team talking to customers on the ground is that even those trapped in Kaikoura are looking to carry on as normal.''
Tourism Export Council chief executive Lesley Immink said while the China market ''took a big gulp",' she had heard no reports of cancellations.
''The positive stories about how New Zealand deals with adversity far outweigh the negative ones.''
There were other parts of the world that suffered from disasters on a far more frequent basis than New Zealand.
The positive stories about how New Zealand deals with adversity far outweigh the negative ones.Lesley Immink, CEO Tourism Export Council
Tourism New Zealand is charged with marketing the country overseas and said its current focus was on working alongside other agencies and the industry to get accurate information about the current situation in New Zealand, out to trade partners.
''We want people to understand that much of New Zealand is unaffected by the recent quakes and that there are many alternatives available to people who wish to travel here, but have concerns,'' said spokeswoman Deborah Gray.
''In the coming weeks we will look at whether specific campaigns are needed in response to this week's events.''
Prime Minister John Key said the risk was serious.
''The thing I don't like about it is these images were all around the world, we did quite a bit of international media, people cut off your coverage, people just worry about earthquakes," Key, who is also Tourism Minister, told TVNZ's Breakfast.
"We need to reassure people that the quality of our buildings is very high, truthfully still, the probability of an earthquake is very low, and we're good at handling that."
The way the country handled and coped with tourists after disasters was critically important, Key said.
We need to reassure people that the quality of our buildings is very high, truthfully still, the probability of an earthquake is very low, and we're good at handling that.
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
NEW ZEALAND: Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kerry Prendergast Resigns
Tourism New Zealand Chair Kerry Prendergast has today confirmed the resignation of Chief Executive Kevin Bowler after almost seven years leading the Crown Entity.
Kevin leaves on 28 October 2016 to join Frucor Beverages Limited as its New Zealand CEO.
Kerry says Kevin has transformed Tourism New Zealand into a high performing, digital-led, integrated marketing communications business with a clear mission and values that are shared by all its staff.
“During his tenure, Kevin has reinvigorated the way the country is marketed, narrowing the organisation’s focus to people already ‘actively considering’ New Zealand and delivering significant value to the economy through the use of targeted digital media channels,” says Kerry.
“He and his team have subsequently presided over some of the most extraordinary growth the industry has ever seen with visitor spend rising 25 per cent to $10.2b in the past twelve months alone.
“Kevin joined Tourism New Zealand in January 2010 and led the organisation and industry through the recovery from the Canterbury earthquakes.
“His time at Tourism New Zealand has been marked by the remarkable success of leveraging international attention gained from the Rugby World Cup and The Hobbit films; the inspiring approach to using international ambassadors in our promotion; expansion into new markets and sectors, and significant partnerships with aviation and digital media partners.
“He ends his tenure having just announced Hollywood powerhouse James Cameron as the latest in a line of influencers who have thrown their voice behind the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.
“With the tourism industry delivering more value to the economy than ever before, Kevin leaves Tourism New Zealand is the best shape possible.
“On behalf of the Board we wish to thank him for his work and commitment to success and wish him all the very best at Frucor.”
Kerry says the Board will begin the process for replacing Kevin immediately with the first step being the appointment of an executive recruitment agency that will lead the search.
Kevin leaves on 28 October 2016 to join Frucor Beverages Limited as its New Zealand CEO.
Kerry says Kevin has transformed Tourism New Zealand into a high performing, digital-led, integrated marketing communications business with a clear mission and values that are shared by all its staff.
“During his tenure, Kevin has reinvigorated the way the country is marketed, narrowing the organisation’s focus to people already ‘actively considering’ New Zealand and delivering significant value to the economy through the use of targeted digital media channels,” says Kerry.
“He and his team have subsequently presided over some of the most extraordinary growth the industry has ever seen with visitor spend rising 25 per cent to $10.2b in the past twelve months alone.
“Kevin joined Tourism New Zealand in January 2010 and led the organisation and industry through the recovery from the Canterbury earthquakes.
“His time at Tourism New Zealand has been marked by the remarkable success of leveraging international attention gained from the Rugby World Cup and The Hobbit films; the inspiring approach to using international ambassadors in our promotion; expansion into new markets and sectors, and significant partnerships with aviation and digital media partners.
“He ends his tenure having just announced Hollywood powerhouse James Cameron as the latest in a line of influencers who have thrown their voice behind the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.
“With the tourism industry delivering more value to the economy than ever before, Kevin leaves Tourism New Zealand is the best shape possible.
“On behalf of the Board we wish to thank him for his work and commitment to success and wish him all the very best at Frucor.”
Kerry says the Board will begin the process for replacing Kevin immediately with the first step being the appointment of an executive recruitment agency that will lead the search.
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
NEW ZEALAND: Influx Of Tourists Satisfactory
Awaroa beachfront in Abel Tasman
Tourism New Zealand is going to stop promoting the country in the high season because operators can't cope with any more visitors in summer.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said in the last two years, spending on the high season had already been slashed to one fifth of the marketing budget.
He said all $90 million of Tourism New Zealand's marketing budget would now be spent on selling the country in the off peak seasons.
"What we're finding is operators are saying to us that New Zealand is pretty full over the peak and there's plenty of demand.
"Where the opportunity really sits is growing the spring and autumn periods."
Visitor arrivals topped more than three million in the last 12 months and are expected to hit four million in 2018.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said in the last two years, spending on the high season had already been slashed to one fifth of the marketing budget.
He said all $90 million of Tourism New Zealand's marketing budget would now be spent on selling the country in the off peak seasons.
"What we're finding is operators are saying to us that New Zealand is pretty full over the peak and there's plenty of demand.
"Where the opportunity really sits is growing the spring and autumn periods."
Visitor arrivals topped more than three million in the last 12 months and are expected to hit four million in 2018.
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
NEW ZEALAND: Chinese Travellers Set To Fall In Love With New Zealand
Actor, director, singer, screenwriter and university teacher Huang Lei returned to New Zealand for the third time in June this year along with wife Sun Li and their two daughters for a family holiday to celebrate the couple's 20 year anniversary.
The family worked alongside Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand to develop a collection of images of the couple’s experience in New Zealand which have been integrated into Tourism New Zealand’s latest campaign in China focusing on romance and family travel in New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Asia David Craig says, “Having the opportunity to work with someone as high profile as Huang Lei not once, but twice, is a real win for Tourism New Zealand.
“Huang Lei has a massive following in China with over 20 million fans on his Weibo social media account. His recent visit to New Zealand generated more than 1,280 media articles and saw 710,000 followers engage with his New Zealand content. We are confident that aligning ourselves with such a well-known influencer will continue to see New Zealand grow in popularity as a visitor destination in China.”
Huang Lei and his family spent eight days touring the top of the South Island, supported by Destination Marlborough, Destination Kaikoura and Christchurch Canterbury Tourism.
The campaign features a series of images and videos showing the couple enjoying seafood and wine, holding a kiwi, cruising and walking, showcasing New Zealand as a holiday destination for families and special occasions.
“In addition three media from China were hosted on a visit to New Zealand to follow Huang Lei as a part of Tourism New Zealand’s International Media Programme. These included the Cosmopolitan Honeymoon Special which featured Huang Lei and Sun Li’s anniversary trip in the July issue to an audience of over 965,000,” says David.
Voyage magazine has also published a six page cover story featuring Huang Lei and Sun Li’s third visit to New Zealand in the August issue as well as another eight page feature story titled “the unknown New Zealand” introducing New Zealand lodges, winery experiences and wildlife. Voyage has a circulation of 315,000 and the two articles have a combined equivalent advertising value of $637,000.
This will be followed by an 11-episode video series on iqiyi.com featuring seven episodes on Huang Lei’s trip and four specifically focusing on travel in New Zealand. Iqiyi is one of China’s top three video sharing sites, attracting an average of 47million daily views. Huang Lei’s New Zealand story will be promoted on the home page and several of the channel’s secondary home pages including travel and entertainment, in September.
Tourism New Zealand’s previous work with Huang Lei on season two of reality show 'Dad, where are we going?' was an outstanding success with the series airing to millions of Chinese.
During his visit to New Zealand Huang Lei also fronted a video promoting safe driving. The video will be released in September. It will be made available to Air New Zealand for use as part of their in-flight information.
CHINA: Chinese New Year Brings Growth And Change
Growth from China has been accelerating with a staggering 34.4 per cent increase for the 2015 year over 2014. Although recent media attention points to a cooling Chinese economy we’re not expecting tourism growth to slow down any time soon with the current New Zealand summer set to be the strongest yet.
Increased air capacity from the two direct carriers, China Southern Airlines and Air New Zealand has been supplemented with new players Air China and China Eastern also establishing year-round services in 2015. The China Southern flights directly to Christchurch have also opened a direct route to the South Island.
Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday period for both domestic and international travel on the Chinese calendar. We’re expecting to welcome around 70,000 Chinese visitors in the four weeks surrounding the actual holiday, 8 February. This would set another new record for China and be 30 per cent higher than last year’s golden travel period of 55,000.
Of more significance than volume is the benefit to the New Zealand economy in terms of value. Average expenditure per Chinese visitor was $5,100 (Sept IVS); a whopping 30 per cent increase for the year. Put into context, the China market is now on a par with our more mature markets of the UK and US average expenditure per arrival at $5,400 and $4,800 respectively.
In addition to outstanding growth, the face of Chinese travel has changed significantly, with the China market maturing more quickly than any other market. As recently as two years ago, the Chinese market was much more heavily skewed towards guided tours (53 per cent) with just 17 per cent in the FIT segment.
The market has progressed quickly to more independent style travel with FIT now comprising 31 per cent of the market. More Chinese visitors are choosing to rent a car and self-drive now than ever before which means we’re seeing more Chinese nationals venturing off the well-beaten Auckland-Rotorua-Queenstown track and exploring further afield. And as the Chinese are becoming more experienced independent travellers they are participating in more activities too. The most popular activities among Chinese visitors are visiting beaches and other natural attractions, geothermal areas, seeing native birds and visiting farms and orchards. Chinese holiday visitors now stay an average of 8.3 days compared with 6.2 days in 2010.
The China market has grown quickly, diversified quickly and is maturing quickly. We can’t predict the future with certainty, but we can prepare for it by learning and sharing as much as possible about catering for new markets and doing what we can to enhance visitor satisfaction.
Media reports have recently raised capacity issues with some operators reporting to have been fully booked for several months prior to Chinese New Year. Part of Tourism New Zealand’s four-pronged strategy to deal with high-season capacity issues is to drive shoulder period travel as hard as possible. We’re also focussed on attracting the highest-value segments from every market, spreading visitors throughout the country and minimising the impact of tourism on the environment.
Tourism New Zealand’s China Toolkit is available along with a range of other market insights to help you develop and deliver products Chinese visitors value and enjoy.
MBIE’s recently completed China FIT Visitor Market Research is being shared with industry currently and points to opportunities to support up-and-coming independent travellers in need of good quality professional guidance. It also emphasises the need for more Mandarin speakers and translated information.
Tourism New Zealand is also involved in a number of cross-agency initiatives to support safer driving by international visitors. These initiatives, tailored to individual markets include a video by Chinese celebrity influencer Huang Lei with key messages on keeping safe on our roads. Filmed in New Zealand, this video showcases our unique set of driving conditions and is promoted by TNZ’s in-market China team. Also, Tourism New Zealand’s online safer driving training module for travel trade has been completed by more than 2,000 offshore agents since it launched in July 2015.
It’s great to see an increasing number of Chinese New Year festivals and parades which are most prevalent in our main centres. This year, some celebrations in Auckland occurred two weeks early so as not to coincide with Waitangi Day celebrations. Let the celebrations continue!
NEW ZEALAND: Six Million Plus Tune Into NZ-based Korean Reality Show
As the final New Zealand episode of popular Korean reality television show ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ went to air last week, more than 6.1 million Korean viewers had already tuned in. To date, the show has earned the equivalent of NZD$15 million in broadcast revenue. And there’s more to come.
‘Where is my friend’s home?’ follows South Korean and foreign cast members of the South Korean television talk show Non-Summit which involves a panel of non-Korean men, living in South Korea, debating various topics and Korean culture through the eyes of a foreigner.
The filming follows the cast members in their home countries. In November, Tourism New Zealand brought the showto New Zealand to film 6 x 1 hour episodes featuring John Riley, Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul.
Fluent in Korean and Māori with tribal affiliations to Te Rarawa, John’s story is based around visiting his mother who lives in Auckland. The group also filmed in Queenstown, Mt. Cook, Rotorua, Taupo, Hobbiton and at Hot Water Beach.
David Craig, Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Asia says that ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ has provided a richness of New Zealand storytelling to an extensive Korean audience.
“The audience has seen six hours of destination coverage during which they’ve been able to get up close and personal with New Zealand life in a range of locations and situations,” says David.
The New Zealand episodes of ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ aired over December and January on JTBC, a South Korean nationwide general cable TV network and broadcasting company.
The show’s screening was supported with a range of social media activity over a five week period of consumer events (competitions) with the JTBC network which helped maximise audience reach. Tourism New Zealand leveraged the show further with a campaign page on newzealand.com linking to the consumer events and leading traffic through to information on New Zealand.
Our Korean market continues to grow with arrivals at 65,000 for the 2015 calendar year, representing a 17 per cent increase on 2014. Read more about the Korean market.
‘Where is my friend’s home?’ follows South Korean and foreign cast members of the South Korean television talk show Non-Summit which involves a panel of non-Korean men, living in South Korea, debating various topics and Korean culture through the eyes of a foreigner.
The filming follows the cast members in their home countries. In November, Tourism New Zealand brought the showto New Zealand to film 6 x 1 hour episodes featuring John Riley, Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul.
Fluent in Korean and Māori with tribal affiliations to Te Rarawa, John’s story is based around visiting his mother who lives in Auckland. The group also filmed in Queenstown, Mt. Cook, Rotorua, Taupo, Hobbiton and at Hot Water Beach.
David Craig, Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Asia says that ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ has provided a richness of New Zealand storytelling to an extensive Korean audience.
“The audience has seen six hours of destination coverage during which they’ve been able to get up close and personal with New Zealand life in a range of locations and situations,” says David.
The New Zealand episodes of ‘Where is my friend’s home?’ aired over December and January on JTBC, a South Korean nationwide general cable TV network and broadcasting company.
The show’s screening was supported with a range of social media activity over a five week period of consumer events (competitions) with the JTBC network which helped maximise audience reach. Tourism New Zealand leveraged the show further with a campaign page on newzealand.com linking to the consumer events and leading traffic through to information on New Zealand.
Our Korean market continues to grow with arrivals at 65,000 for the 2015 calendar year, representing a 17 per cent increase on 2014. Read more about the Korean market.
NEW ZEALAND: Tourism New Zealand Announces Megan Gale As New Ambassador
Tourism New Zealand has announced Aussie star Megan Gale as its first ever ambassador to promote cycling to the Australian market, at a press conference held in Sydney today.
The international model, designer and actress has signed on to promote tourism and The New Zealand Cycle Trail (NZCT).
A new social and digital campaign using images of Megan on the trails will deliver the message that The Great Rides are suitable for all ages, cycling tastes and levels.
Tourism New Zealand Director of Marketing Andrew Fraser says it’s exciting to welcome Megan Gale as a new cycling ambassador as we make a big play to target Australian cyclists.
“We know from past experience of working with celebrities like Phil Keoghan and China’s Huang Lei, that their influence through popular culture, particularly social media, is enormous.
“Megan’s influence and family connection to New Zealand will no doubt increase awareness and preference for New Zealand as a world-class cycling destination.”
Megan Gale is one of Australia’s most highly regarded talents with a career spanning over two decades. Her experience spans multiple business endeavours, including a swim and homewares designer and her latest role in award-winning action blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.
In 2015 she cycled the Otago Central Rail Trail and The Timber Trail, accompanied by locals including cycling Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ulmer, cross-country cycling Commonwealth Games silver medalist Sam Gaze and celebrity chef and writer Annabel Langbein.
Andrew says the connection between cycling and other activities is a key part of Tourism New Zealand’s offering to Australian travellers.
“Visitors can experience New Zealand’s spectacular cycle trails as well as the very best of New Zealand’s food, wine, culture, history and stunning scenery all within such close reach of one another.
“We are seeing many Australians travel to New Zealand specifically to enjoy our diverse trails and expect to see this number rise following today’s announcement.”
Megan says she is proud to be the Ambassador for Tourism New Zealand’s cycling campaign in Australia.
“New Zealand is in my blood - my mother is part Māori so my connection to New Zealand has always been strong and the opportunity to promote New Zealand as a destination and its Great Rides is incredibly exciting.
“I love cycling for both fitness and relaxation so combining it with travel is the perfect mix. The best part is you can explore the country from an entirely different angle – it’s like riding through a postcard,” said Megan.
Cycling has been identified by Tourism New Zealand as a key special interest activity to help drive higher value and seasonal visitors to New Zealand during autumn and spring.
“Holiday visitors that participate in cycling spend more and stay longer than average visitors – a core focus of our activity to drive value to the New Zealand tourism industry and wider economy,” says Andrew.
The New Zealand Government and local communities are committed to developing the Great Rides -investing $80 million last year alone into developing The NZCT for both experienced and leisure cyclists.
To see the videos of Megan’s incredible journey click here for The Timber Trail and Otago Central Rail Trail.
The international model, designer and actress has signed on to promote tourism and The New Zealand Cycle Trail (NZCT).
A new social and digital campaign using images of Megan on the trails will deliver the message that The Great Rides are suitable for all ages, cycling tastes and levels.
Tourism New Zealand Director of Marketing Andrew Fraser says it’s exciting to welcome Megan Gale as a new cycling ambassador as we make a big play to target Australian cyclists.
“We know from past experience of working with celebrities like Phil Keoghan and China’s Huang Lei, that their influence through popular culture, particularly social media, is enormous.
“Megan’s influence and family connection to New Zealand will no doubt increase awareness and preference for New Zealand as a world-class cycling destination.”
Megan Gale is one of Australia’s most highly regarded talents with a career spanning over two decades. Her experience spans multiple business endeavours, including a swim and homewares designer and her latest role in award-winning action blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.
In 2015 she cycled the Otago Central Rail Trail and The Timber Trail, accompanied by locals including cycling Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ulmer, cross-country cycling Commonwealth Games silver medalist Sam Gaze and celebrity chef and writer Annabel Langbein.
Andrew says the connection between cycling and other activities is a key part of Tourism New Zealand’s offering to Australian travellers.
“Visitors can experience New Zealand’s spectacular cycle trails as well as the very best of New Zealand’s food, wine, culture, history and stunning scenery all within such close reach of one another.
“We are seeing many Australians travel to New Zealand specifically to enjoy our diverse trails and expect to see this number rise following today’s announcement.”
Megan says she is proud to be the Ambassador for Tourism New Zealand’s cycling campaign in Australia.
“New Zealand is in my blood - my mother is part Māori so my connection to New Zealand has always been strong and the opportunity to promote New Zealand as a destination and its Great Rides is incredibly exciting.
“I love cycling for both fitness and relaxation so combining it with travel is the perfect mix. The best part is you can explore the country from an entirely different angle – it’s like riding through a postcard,” said Megan.
Cycling has been identified by Tourism New Zealand as a key special interest activity to help drive higher value and seasonal visitors to New Zealand during autumn and spring.
“Holiday visitors that participate in cycling spend more and stay longer than average visitors – a core focus of our activity to drive value to the New Zealand tourism industry and wider economy,” says Andrew.
The New Zealand Government and local communities are committed to developing the Great Rides -investing $80 million last year alone into developing The NZCT for both experienced and leisure cyclists.
To see the videos of Megan’s incredible journey click here for The Timber Trail and Otago Central Rail Trail.
NEW ZEALAND: Incentive Travel From South East Asia
New Zealand is set to welcome more incentive travellers from South East Asia than ever before thanks to a series of key partnerships and agreements making it easier for businesses to bring their corporate incentives to New Zealand.
This month Tourism New Zealand signed a co-marketing agreement with Dynasty Travel, one of Singapore's leading travel agencies, along with partners Air New Zealand and Winchester Travel, which aims to grow incentive travel to New Zealand out of Singapore.
Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager South and South East Asia Steven Dixon says, “The progress we have made over the past few months in South East Asia is exciting news for the business events sector and will see more incentive travellers visit New Zealand.”
“Incentive travel is a global management tool used by companies to motivate and recognise staff for outstanding performance by offering special travel experiences.
“It presents significant opportunity for Tourism New Zealand to bring more high value visitors to New Zealand and is a primary focus of our business events activity in the South East Asia markets,” says Steven.
Under the new marketing agreement Tourism New Zealand will be able to extend the reach of its activity to directly target key decision makers in large corporate firms in Singapore.
Director of Sales, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events) Department, Dynasty Travel Ms Eileen Phua says, “We are very pleased and excited about this collaboration with Tourism New Zealand. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase New Zealand as an excellent MICE destination to our corporate clients.”
Tourism New Zealand has also signed two additional partnerships which will work to position New Zealand as a desirable incentive destination in South East Asia.
Late last year Tourism New Zealand signed a partnership with Immigration New Zealand and three MICE agents in Thailand - Big World Holidays Co. Ltd, Green Line Travel and Global Link International Holiday Co Ltd.
The partnership will work to facilitate faster processing of visitor visa applications from nationals of Thailand who want to travel to New Zealand to attend business events.
In addition Tourism New Zealand, together with Immigration New Zealand and four Indonesian travel agents signed a Memorandum of Understanding late last year, to facilitate faster processing of visa applications for Indonesians attending business events and corporate incentive trips.
“These partnerships are vital in breaking down barriers such a visa processing to help position New Zealand as a more desirable destination for corporates in South East Asia,” says Steven.
“From July – December 2015, we confirmed six incentive groups from the South East Asia region who will travel to New Zealand sometime in 2016-2018. These groups represent an additional 3,200 delegates worth an estimated $10.3 million to the New Zealand economy. Through these partnerships we’re confident that we will see these numbers continue to grow.”
This month Tourism New Zealand signed a co-marketing agreement with Dynasty Travel, one of Singapore's leading travel agencies, along with partners Air New Zealand and Winchester Travel, which aims to grow incentive travel to New Zealand out of Singapore.
Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager South and South East Asia Steven Dixon says, “The progress we have made over the past few months in South East Asia is exciting news for the business events sector and will see more incentive travellers visit New Zealand.”
“Incentive travel is a global management tool used by companies to motivate and recognise staff for outstanding performance by offering special travel experiences.
“It presents significant opportunity for Tourism New Zealand to bring more high value visitors to New Zealand and is a primary focus of our business events activity in the South East Asia markets,” says Steven.
Under the new marketing agreement Tourism New Zealand will be able to extend the reach of its activity to directly target key decision makers in large corporate firms in Singapore.
Director of Sales, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events) Department, Dynasty Travel Ms Eileen Phua says, “We are very pleased and excited about this collaboration with Tourism New Zealand. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase New Zealand as an excellent MICE destination to our corporate clients.”
Tourism New Zealand has also signed two additional partnerships which will work to position New Zealand as a desirable incentive destination in South East Asia.
Late last year Tourism New Zealand signed a partnership with Immigration New Zealand and three MICE agents in Thailand - Big World Holidays Co. Ltd, Green Line Travel and Global Link International Holiday Co Ltd.
The partnership will work to facilitate faster processing of visitor visa applications from nationals of Thailand who want to travel to New Zealand to attend business events.
In addition Tourism New Zealand, together with Immigration New Zealand and four Indonesian travel agents signed a Memorandum of Understanding late last year, to facilitate faster processing of visa applications for Indonesians attending business events and corporate incentive trips.
“These partnerships are vital in breaking down barriers such a visa processing to help position New Zealand as a more desirable destination for corporates in South East Asia,” says Steven.
“From July – December 2015, we confirmed six incentive groups from the South East Asia region who will travel to New Zealand sometime in 2016-2018. These groups represent an additional 3,200 delegates worth an estimated $10.3 million to the New Zealand economy. Through these partnerships we’re confident that we will see these numbers continue to grow.”
Thursday, 5 November 2015
NEW ZEALAND: Sidharth Malhotra Chosen As Tourism New Zealand’s Indian Ambassador
Young and dashing Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra has been named the first Indian ambassador for Tourism New Zealand, which markets New Zealand as a visitor destination.He is excited to embark on a visit to the picturesque land to experience its diverse landscapes, culture and adventure activities.As a lover of nature, great outdoors and extreme sports, Sidharth is looking forward to visiting New Zealand later this month.
During his trip, he will be visiting both the North and South Islands, getting a chance to soak in the joys of an array of activities and an experience of the country’s local Maori culture.Talking about it, Sidharth said in a statement: “I’ve heard from my friends about the many activities that New Zealand has to offer and I’m very excited for this trip. I’m a traveller who believes in experiencing everything that a destination offers and New Zealand has so much to offer.”
He is especially “gearing up for some hardcore adventure such as skydive, SkyWalk and diving. I can’t wait to experience the local wildlife in New Zealand. I have also heard extensively about the food and wine, Maori culture and other unique experiences that the country offers,” he added.The actor, who has amassed a fan following with roles in entertainers like “Student of the Year”, “Hasee Toh Phasee”, “Ek Villain” and “Brothers”, has managed to capture the attention of youth in particular. And that’s evident by the over 4.3 million followers that he has on social media.
While in New Zealand, he is is also upbeat about interacting with some of his fans during his trip to the Kiwi land, which is replete with spectacular landscapes – from vast mountain ranges, steaming volcanoes to sweeping coastlines.Officials at Tourism New Zealand are also trying to ensure that Sidharth has an experience of a lifetime.
“Sidharth is young and dynamic, and extremely keen to experience New Zealand’s offerings. From adventure activities to food and wine experiences, local culture to luxury indulgence, New Zealand is gearing up to surprise Sidharth at every step of his journey. We look forward to hosting him and making him feel at home,” said Steven Dixon, regional manager, South and South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
NEW ZEALAND: Chinese Mega-star New Video For Safer Driving
Chinese celebrity Huang Lei is lending his voice and influence to spread the word about safer driving in New Zealand to his millions of fans in China.
Huang Lei, star of China’s number one reality show ‘Dad, Where are we going?’ is fronting a new five minute video, filmed in New Zealand during a visit earlier this year.
Tourism New Zealand, in partnership with Air New Zealand, seized the opportunity to use Huang Lei's visit as a way to get a serious message across about driving conditions in New Zealand - something the celebrity himself was more than happy to help with.
“Huang Lei's commitment to the safety of his family meant he was happy to deliver our key messages as part of his trip - that whilst self-driving is a great way to see New Zealand, driving here is very different to driving in China and visitors should consider carefully if it is the right choice for them,” says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.
“Leveraging off the profile of influential individuals such as Huang Lei is an effective way to share these messages with a really big audience of potential visitors to New Zealand.
“Not only is Huang Lei an actor, he is also a director, singer, screenwriter and university teacher. He has a social media following of 20 million and the teaser to the programme filmed while the family were in New Zealand, 20 years in love, generated over 2.8 million views.”
In the driving video, filmed near Kaikoura, Huang Lei speaks in his own words and style, of the key differences to driving in New Zealand.
He includes things he considers critical for Chinese drivers to understand - the need to keep left, the need for caution on New Zealand’s windy roads and to be careful to pull off the road completely before stopping to take photographs.
Air New Zealand will screen the video from November on its new ‘Driving in New Zealand’ inflight entertainment channel available on international flights.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says the airline is pleased to be partnering with Huang Lei and Tourism New Zealand to deliver driver safety information to inbound passengers.
“We are committed to playing our part in improving road safety and ensuring visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience while in New Zealand,” says Mr Luxon.
It will also be distributed through all Tourism New Zealand owned channels in China and through public relations activity.
This is the latest step made by Tourism New Zealand to convey important information to people considering visiting New Zealand and a self-driving holiday.
“We know that driving in New Zealand is unique and that visitors may be unprepared for much of what awaits them, particularly in terms of our roads and driving conditions. We are committed to doing what we can to get potential visitors to consider this before driving in New Zealand and to keep them and others as safe as possible,” says Kevin.
Huang Lei, star of China’s number one reality show ‘Dad, Where are we going?’ is fronting a new five minute video, filmed in New Zealand during a visit earlier this year.
Tourism New Zealand, in partnership with Air New Zealand, seized the opportunity to use Huang Lei's visit as a way to get a serious message across about driving conditions in New Zealand - something the celebrity himself was more than happy to help with.
“Huang Lei's commitment to the safety of his family meant he was happy to deliver our key messages as part of his trip - that whilst self-driving is a great way to see New Zealand, driving here is very different to driving in China and visitors should consider carefully if it is the right choice for them,” says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.
“Leveraging off the profile of influential individuals such as Huang Lei is an effective way to share these messages with a really big audience of potential visitors to New Zealand.
“Not only is Huang Lei an actor, he is also a director, singer, screenwriter and university teacher. He has a social media following of 20 million and the teaser to the programme filmed while the family were in New Zealand, 20 years in love, generated over 2.8 million views.”
In the driving video, filmed near Kaikoura, Huang Lei speaks in his own words and style, of the key differences to driving in New Zealand.
He includes things he considers critical for Chinese drivers to understand - the need to keep left, the need for caution on New Zealand’s windy roads and to be careful to pull off the road completely before stopping to take photographs.
Air New Zealand will screen the video from November on its new ‘Driving in New Zealand’ inflight entertainment channel available on international flights.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says the airline is pleased to be partnering with Huang Lei and Tourism New Zealand to deliver driver safety information to inbound passengers.
“We are committed to playing our part in improving road safety and ensuring visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience while in New Zealand,” says Mr Luxon.
It will also be distributed through all Tourism New Zealand owned channels in China and through public relations activity.
This is the latest step made by Tourism New Zealand to convey important information to people considering visiting New Zealand and a self-driving holiday.
“We know that driving in New Zealand is unique and that visitors may be unprepared for much of what awaits them, particularly in terms of our roads and driving conditions. We are committed to doing what we can to get potential visitors to consider this before driving in New Zealand and to keep them and others as safe as possible,” says Kevin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)