Nearly 300 tourism and travel buyers from around the world are set to converge on Auckland next month to attend TRENZ 2014 the largest annual international trade show of New Zealand’s 24 billion dollar tourism industry, which showcases the new and exciting tourism products that New Zealand has to offer consumers in its home markets. This year 260 of New Zealand’s leading tourism operators will put their products on display to the 300 buyers who are the most influential in terms of generating international visitors to New Zealand.

“Highlighting the importance of TRENZ, 85% of buyers at last year’s event said it was more important than any other marketing and purchasing activities they undertake,” says Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Communications Manager Ann-Marie Johnson.“Buyers are coming from 30 countries to attend TRENZ 2014, including traditional visitor markets such as Australia, the UK and the USA, and newer markets where New Zealand tourism is targeting high-value visitors, such as Brazil and Indonesia.We are very pleased to see that the number of buyers attending from India has increased to 14, up from 10 at last year’s event. India is a visitor market seen to hold enormous promise for New Zealand.”

Ms Johnson says there is also a big increase in the number of buyers coming from China, New Zealand’s fastest growing visitor market. (70 buyers from China are attending, up from 53 last year.)

“TRENZ is a fantastic opportunity for New Zealand’s high quality tourism operators to negotiate contracts and build relationships with international buyers – vital for growing their business now and over the long-term.”

Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Corporate Affairs, Chris Roberts, says TRENZ is a key event on the travel trade’s annual calendar.

“Bringing key international travel sellers to New Zealand, to experience first-hand the very product they promote, ensures they are knowledgeable about our country and tourism offering and are able to effectively sell it as a holiday destination. With buyers attending from across our traditional markets, growth markets and priority emerging markets we are looking forward to a busy four days building on our work offshore to promote New Zealand and our unique tourism experiences.”

TRENZ 2014 is being held at The Cloud and Shed 10, Queens Wharf, Auckland, 18-21 May.

The tourism industry is welcoming the UK government’s recent decision to cut Air Passenger Duty (APD) on long-haul flights.

In the UK Budget delivered last night, Chancellor George Osborne announced that tax on long-haul flights to New Zealand would be cut, effective from the 1st of April 2015. This will result in a £26 (NZ$50 at today’s exchange rate) saving per passenger (or for a family of four, £104 [NZ$201]).

New Zealand tourism bodies have long been advocating for a reduction in the APD on the basis that it is a barrier to long-haul travel. In a joint submission made to the UK Treasury in 2011, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), the Tourism Export Council (TEC), the New Zealand Airports Association and the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) argued that the APD, combined with other air travel taxes, was a significant disincentive for UK visitors to travel to New Zealand

Passengers travelling to long-haul destinations like New Zealand and Australia have been paying nearly 10 times more APD than those making short-haul trips to European destinations, says TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden.

The UK is currently New Zealand’s fourth largest visitor market in terms of arrivals (191,632) and third-largest in terms of spend ($608 million). In 2008, just before the APD was increased significantly and as the Global Financial Crisis was beginning to impact, the UK was our second-largest market by arrivals (285,094) and spend ($1.32 billion).

NZ Airports Chief Executive Kevin Ward says the APD has been an impediment to tourism, travel, and economic development.

“We have argued for a flat per-person levy irrespective of destination or class of travel undertaken. While the Chancellor’s announcement does not go that far, it does help ease the impact for long haul travelers.”

Lesley Immink, Chief Executive of the Tourism Export Council has also welcomed today’s announcement.

“The UK has been a tough market for us over the last five years, not helped by the high level of the APD. When taken with the strength of our dollar, it has made this market challenging.”

Mr Snedden adds that making travel easier is an important stage of the Tourism 2025 growth framework, which will be released next Monday (the 24th of March).

“Taxes like the UK APD and the Australian Passenger Movement Charge are a handbrake on growing sustainable air connectivity, a key theme of the 2025 framework.”

Calling adventure and outdoor tourism operators: you’re all invited to attend the Tourism Industry Association’s The Great Adventure 2014, set to be held in Wellington on 19-20 June.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Great Adventure, planning is well underway for this industry event that brings together operators and others from around the adventure and outdoor sector to share their experiences, and collectively tackle the challenges of building a strong, unified and prosperous adventure tourism sector.

2014 will be a pivotal year for the sector, as the new auditing regime is implemented. Attendees will discuss issues immediately facing the sector, as well as having opportunities to learn new ideas and skills with instant practical application for their own businesses.

The programme kicks off with a networking function on the evening on Thursday 19 June, followed by a full day of workshops, presentations and discussions on Friday 20 June.

Last year’s delegates were enthusiastic about the event:

“I wrote 15 pages of notes and almost ran out of paper! It truly was highly valuable information for me. Best conference I have been to - I learned something from every speaker/workshop.” – Amanda Pearson, Auckland Adventure Jet

“I came away with practical ideas to put in place in our own business, some wonderful connections with other operators and organisations around New Zealand and a better understanding of the adventure regulations and the need for action in this space.” – Juliet Gibbons, Wilderness Guides Marlborough Sounds

“Very relevant to our small business, with an excellent outdoor safety bias.” – Stewart Barclay, Adrift New Zealand

Programme details and registration for The Great Adventure 2014 will be available very soon – keep an eye on the association’s website at www.tianz.org.nz for more information.

Mt-Hutt-skier

Canterbury’s Mt Hutt ski area is on track for another exciting winter thanks to the re-instatement of a new-look Triple Chair, the introduction of a new terrain park further up the mountain and trail improvements.

The second stage concrete pour for the lift foundations was completed by helicopter on Monday in near perfect flying conditions, with a further 70 tonnes of concrete due to be poured over the course of this week.

The Triple Chair was out of action at the ski area last winter after an avalanche damaged the bottom station following record snowfall in late June.

Work to rebuild the chairlift began pre-Christmas with significant progress already made — the damaged structure has been removed, extensive earthworks carried out and the first stages of re-construction are well underway.

Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie said it was “another exciting step” towards getting the important Triple Chair back up and running.

“The foundation mesh cages are constructed and have been lowered into position, the first stage of concrete pouring is complete and the new retaining wall is finished. We’re now waiting for our terminal structure to arrive which is currently being built in Doppelmayr’s Swiss and Austrian factories,” he said.

A new layout and approach to the load area will make it easier for skifield guests to get onto the lift, reducing their journey time.

“The new ‘get-on’ point will be slightly further forward, enabling straight loading from the back of the lift instead of making a tricky 90-degree turn in front of an approaching chair,” said Mr McKenzie.

“This will then mean fewer stop/starts and we also expect to be able to at a slightly faster speed which will be good all round for skiers and boarders.The next stage is to install the operator hut and a new haul rope, connect the power, and load the chairs.”

On completion, the rebuilt lift will undergo extensive testing and commissioning by Doppelmayr technicians.

Work is scheduled to be completed towards the end of May.The lift will be a welcome return for many skiers and snowboarders who will be eager to once again enjoy terrain on the skifield that was not easily accessible last season.

Another new development planned for Mt Hutt for the upcoming season include a new terrain park near the top of the mountain. The trail network around the new terrain park has been widened for ease of access to and from the park, as well improvements carried out to the beginning of the advanced run Virgin Mile to minimise congestion.

Mt Hutt celebrated 40 years in operation last year and attracts visitors from all over the world as well as its loyal Cantabrian fans. The mountain is scheduled to open for the 2014 season on Saturday, June 7.

Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) has this week congratulated The Farm at Cape Kidnappers on its win of the prestigious “Golf Resort of the Year - Rest of the World” award at the 2013 International Golf Travel Market(IGTM).The IAGTO Golf Travel Awards are the official annual awards of the golf tourism industry. The coveted “Golf Resort of The Year” prize is handed out in three regional categories – North America, Europe and the Rest of the World. When judging the golf resorts each year, tour operators consider customer satisfaction, the quality of the golf course and its accommodation, value for money, quality of service from the staff, and accessibility to tee times. The awards are voted for by over 450 golf tour operators from 59 countries.

This year’s IGTM was held in Spain over three days and was attended by more than 600 golf tourism suppliers, 350 buyers and 100 members of the international press.

Tourism New Zealand’s Director of Marketing Andrew Fraser says the international success of The Farm at Cape Kidnappers will provide a significant boost to New Zealand’s profile as a golf destination.

“Tourism New Zealand recently commissioned work to review the potential for us to tap into the international golf tourism market. We know that golf tourism is a priority special interest sector due to the number of high-value travellers it attracts and its strong potential for growth. This work has indicated that New Zealand has both a world class golf tourism offering and the opportunity to do more with it.

“The recommended approach is that we develop and market golf trails, where travellers can come to New Zealand on an itinerary that takes in a number of marquee courses alongside unique community and regional courses. In addition to golf, the trails will take travellers to some of New Zealand’s most unique tourism attractions and the best of our food, wine and accommodation offerings.

Mr Fraser concludes: “The accolade achieved by The Farm at Cape Kidnappers reinforces the uniqueness of our offering, and will provide a huge boost in international profile which we will now work to capitalise on.”

Tourism New Zealand plans to invest up-to two million dollars over three years into the international marketing of New Zealand’s distinctive golf offer to potential visitors. The campaigns will work to increase awareness of New Zealand as a golf destination by profiling New Zealand courses ready to meet the needs and expectations of the international market.

The recent work has also led to the establishment of a new group New Zealand Golf Tourism (NZGT), an industry advisory group that will explore alternative funding streams and support from the golf sector and other beneficiaries of golf tourism spend. Tourism New Zealand will maintain a focus on attracting international visitors, with the NZGT taking responsibility for considering the domestic tourism flow and relationships within the golf sector.

Kawarau-River-Station-web

An iconic piece of Queenstown real estate is for sale with Kawarau River Station, one of Queenstown’s most significant freehold land blocks, placed on the open market for only the second time in its history. The rugged high country station, which is located at the foot of The Remarkables mountain range on the Kawarau River, is highly sought-after due to its position, natural attributes, 14km of riverfront land and its closeness to Queenstown, and has attracted considerable interest after just a week on the market.

For sale by enquiry with local realtor Bas Smith of Ray White Queenstown, the sale of the 4500 acre station is being presented as a rare opportunity for the right buyer. “The West end of the property is located across the river from the Remarkables Park town centre and the farm encompasses the majority of the northern slopes of The Remarkables,” said Mr Smith. “It’s entirely north facing, ensuring year round solar advantage. This, accompanied by the huge water resource, makes for a very attractive proposition. It really is one of the last blocks of land of this nature available so close to Queenstown,” said Mr Smith.

“Complemented by some of the most spectacular natural features to be found anywhere in the world, it is a rare find. This is a superb opportunity for someone to own an incredibly private, trophy property,” he said.

Originally used in the Gold Rush days as the main access route to Queenstown, the station has legal vehicle access from both ends and a well formed internal road, which allows the owner a drive of 15 minutes to Remarkables Park from the centre of the station. Absolute riverfront properties are extremely rarely available in the region, and this property affords the potential owner an idyllic Kiwi rural lifestyle from swimming, fishing and jet boating in the river to farming, sustainable farming and hunting for wild game in the high country.

The station is currently a profitable working farm that contains 1,826 hectares of fertile, well-fenced flats and river terraces grazing cattle and a red deer stud. It currently has a three bedroom farm manager’s house near the Gibbston Valley end of the property, a woolshed, deer and cattle yards and hay shed. The station’s colourful history dates back to the early 1900s, when it was subdivided from the larger Kawarau Station in 1910.
“There simply are no other properties like this in Queenstown now or in the future. All major land parcels near the boundary to Queenstown are already earmarked for development, making this a rare opportunity to own a slice of New Zealand paradise,” said Mr Smith.

Boundary-web

 

The tourism industry is gearing up for what looks to be a strong summer season ahead, with international arrivals statistics released today showing strong visitor numbers were maintained throughout spring. Total visitor arrivals for the year ending September 2013 were up 2.9 per cent.

Holidaymakers continue to drive the growth in overall numbers, with September holiday arrivals up 16.4 per cent on the same month a year ago, bringing an additional 12,944 visitors to New Zealand for the month.

Tourism New Zealand CE Kevin Bowler noted holiday arrivals from all three of its tier one markets reported growth in September, with arrivals for the month from Australia up 4.3 per cent, China up 78.4 per cent and the USA up 10.6 per cent.

“The very strong growth seen in China arrivals occurred as travellers sought to take their holidays ahead of the new travel law which came into effect on 1 October. The law effectively requires travel sellers in China to offer better quality, and thus more expensive, group tour packages both domestically and internationally … we expect total visitor numbers from China to be softer in October, but that this decline will be temporary as the market mix shifts to a better quality experiences for visitors. Overall it is a positive development for New Zealand tourism, and fits with our strategy to increase the value of the Chinese market to New Zealand.”

In September strong growth in holiday arrivals was also seen across Asian markets, with Singapore up 55.2 per cent, Japan up 28.9 per cent and Korea up 27.0 per cent.

“This growth shows the important role of marketing and aviation competition in driving capacity, and in turn arrivals. These markets have all seen increased promotion of New Zealand, with sharper airfares offered from competing airlines” adds Kevin.

Japan and Korean arrivals were also boosted by public holidays during the month, encouraging many to take up airline promotional packages.

Holiday arrivals from the traditional long-haul markets maintained growth during the month, with Germany being the key performer with arrivals up 20.1 per cent. While total arrivals from the UK were down for the period, holiday arrivals maintained growth, up 6.7 per cent for the month.

“The long-staying German market is a consistent performer, with the growth seen during the month supporting our own research, with our September market research reporting the market’s preference for New Zealand at a high.”

The release of the latest version of TNZ’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand advertising campaign in September has seen new campaign activity underway across all key markets, which should continue to support growth into summer.

Tourism New Zealand’s latest campaign offers young Japanese travellers the chance to win a week-long holiday to New Zealand. The prize is the first phase of Tourism New Zealand’s new ‘Young Adventurers’ campaign, aimed at targeting the fast growing youth visitor segment.

The activity is further strengthened by Tourism New Zealand’s recent Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s main youth travel seller, HIS Travel. Signed last week in Tokyo, the annual agreement outlines a matched investment to target the youth traveller segment, with activity covering in-market training, seminars, famils and joint marketing activity.

Nick Mudge, Tourism New Zealand’s Regional Manager Japan and Korea, says HIS is the largest youth-focused travel agent in Japan.

“We have worked with them on a number of campaigns, and the new MoU shows our combined commitment to continue to work together to grow the Japan youth market for New Zealand. Japanese arrivals aged 15-29 grew 6.2 per cent for the year-ending June 2013, confirming the opportunity this segment presents to grow arrivals from Japan and support the continued recovery of this important market.”

TNZ activity in Japan has traditionally only targeted the senior traveller, but the new campaign shows Tourism New Zealand’s work to engage with a broader range of travel sectors.

Over 500 Young Adventurers across Japan registered for a trip to New Zealand within the first 3 days of the new campaign. Run online, the activity is supported with travel and airfare deals from key trade partners. Visitors are then taken to dedicated campaign pages on newzealand.com/jp, where an interactive map shows exactly where to find adventure or refreshment activities throughout New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand’s on-going PR activity across broadcast, print and online outlets in Japan will extend the campaigns core messages across youth focused media channels. This year a number of key media outlets have been brought to New Zealand as part of Tourism New Zealand’s International Media Programme to experience the raft of adventure and refreshment activities for themselves, enabling them to share their personal experience with the younger Japanese target segment.

Tourism New Zealand has appointed Samuel Russell to lead the development of the global premium travel market, based in Auckland.

General Manager of Marketing Communications Justin Watson says this newly created position is tasked with increasing visitor arrivals to New Zealand from the lucrative global premium travel sector.

The appointment follows the Government’s 2013/14 Budget announcement of an additional $123 million in funding for Tourism New Zealand over four years, with $20 million over four years specifically earmarked for the purpose of growing the premium sector.

“Sam brings over 20 years of experience working in the luxury goods, travel, hospitality, banking and medical sectors. He is a Kiwi who has spent the majority of his career in the USA working for various companies, including over 10 years as Marketing and Communications Director for Davidoff, the Swiss luxury brands company based in New York; and three years as the Marketing Director for the New York Health & Racquet Club. “

“Sam’s significant background, industry contacts and extensive experience make him ideally placed to help Tourism New Zealand attract more of this critical sector of travellers.”

Samuel begins with with Tourism New Zealand on the 9th of September.

Tourism New Zealand has also filled another important new position, appointing Stephen Marshall to the new role of Premium Sector Trade Manager – Americas. Stephen is currently General Manager of AOT New Zealand in Auckland and will relocate with his family to Los Angeles in late September.

Interviews are currently underway with candidates for two further positions within the Premium Travel team; Premium Sector Trade Manager – UK, who will be based in London; and Premium Sector Trade Manager – Asia, who will be based in Shanghai.

Malcolm Johns will take over the head job at Christchurch International Airport at the beginning of next year.

Replacing Jim Boult, Johns, currently chief executive of InterCity Group, is the Deputy Chair of Tourism New Zealand.

“We are delighted to have someone of Malcolm’s calibre and experience to take up the role of Chief Executive at Christchurch Airport,” said CIAL Chairman David Mackenzie.

“Malcolm will bring with him comprehensive knowledge of international tourism issues, as well as his proven leadership capabilities and business vision developed in the passenger transport sector. “We are confident he will add value to our business and help us take the airport to the next level, after the very good work Jim Boult has completed over the past five years.”

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