Newsletter : July 2014
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide www.tourism.net.nz July 2014 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this July newsletter:
Kiwis Go Cruising in Record Numbers
According to an article in the New Zealand Herald this month, more New Zealanders than ever before are taking cruise holidays - with the rate of increase higher than any of the main passengers markets around the world. In 2013 more than 59,000 Kiwis took cruises - up 23% on the previous 12 months.
The rapid growth rate is more than seven times that of all short term visitor departures from this country for the year to May. The cruise industry attributes its rising popularity to greater awareness of cruising as the New Zealand market matures and more ships call into port here. The high New Zealand dollar is bringing down the price of cruises themselves and the cost of flying to meet the ship.
The Cruise Industry Source Market Report shows the South Pacific is still the favourite destination for New Zealanders, with the 18,257 passengers accounting for 31 per cent of the Kiwi cruise traveller market and up more than 65 per cent on the previous year.
Space Balloon Tourism Under Development
An Arizona company says it has successfully completed the first small-scale test flight of a high-altitude balloon and capsule being developed to let tourists float 32 kilometres above the earth. The system uses a balloon similar to that used in 2012 to lift Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner 128,000 feet to make a world-record breaking 38.6-kilometre sky dive.
Last week's flight was the first testing all the components together. It used a balloon about third the size of that planned for passenger flight to lift a payload of about one-tenth of what will be used to carry passengers. The company is still planning to begin its US$75,000 per-person flights in 2016. The balloons will lift a capsule carrying six passengers and two crew members 20 miles up, where they will float under a parafoil for about two hours before floating back down to earth. The capsule will be big enough for the passengers to walk around.
The selling point is the view of the Earth and seeing its curve, the company says. Other space-tourism ventures under development will rocket passengers the full 100 kilometres into space but on much shorter flights.
Spaceport is where Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first space-tourism flights at a cost of $200,000 per person. Development of Virgin's spacecraft has taken longer than originally planned, and it is unclear when the company, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will make its first flight. The company's newest target date is the end of this year, but it has said that for each of the last several years.
Fiordland Monorail Rejected
Not many tourism proposals deserve to fail on their artist's impression but the Fiordland monorail did. The image of a train on a low, raised track snaking across the wide green landscape in the south-west of the South Island never looked likely to be approved.
The scheme in detail looked even worse. Designed to reduce the journey from Queenstown to Milford Sound, the 44km monorail was one stage of a journey that would require four different modes of travel. Tourists would boat across Lake Wakatipu, transfer to an off-road vehicle for a bumpy 45km ride to the monorail, which would take them to the Te Anau-Milford road followed by a 90km bus trip.
Conservation Minister Nick Smith has decided it cannot stand up on economic or environmental grounds. Yet he says it was a more difficult decision than his rejection of the Dart-Hollyford tunnel proposal that also would have shortened the road journey between the region's main tourist attractions.
The decision will be welcomed in the south, particularly in Te Anau which was going to be bypassed in both schemes. The region is proud of its World Heritage status and wary of any development that might mar its spectacular landscapes. Nick Smith says the Government is still open to proposals for alternative access to Fiordland.
Making Your Website Mobile Friendly
Edited by Steph Kendall
At the end of 2013, researchers estimated that 90% of New Zealanders would own a smartphone by 2018 and that almost 50% of current users engaged with mobile media. This technology is no longer emergent, it is widespread and businesses with a website need to consider whether smartphone users are going to click on or click past their website as viewed on a mobile device.
Research has also shown that people use mobile devices even when they're at home (e.g. while watching television). People most often use smartphones and tablets for emailing, searching the internet and participating in social networking and use of smartphones is growing fast across all age groups.
So, if your website cannot be opened quickly or clearly displayed on mobile devices, it is definitely time to make your website mobile friendly. On a small screen, websites with lots of graphics, complex navigation and too much text are hard to read and will lose out to competitors.
If your website is not yet mobile ready, then you have two options for optimising your website for mobile devices:
- Modify your existing website so it works better on mobile devices (often a slightly cheaper option)
- Or, develop a mobile version of your website
For either option, talk to an experienced web developer who can show you a range of mobile friendly websites they have created. See if they point out the features that your new mobile friendly website should include:
- Clean, clear display with limited graphics
- Simple navigation
- Good search engine (to limit scrolling)
- Short blocks of text with headings and white space for easy skimming
Five Quick Tips for Creating Mobile Friendly Websites
- Target your mobile customers - What are people coming to your site for? Make sure maps, contact and booking forms are prominent.
- Make your mobile website fast - Websites need to load quickly, be easy to navigate with fingers and get people to the information or function they need within 1 or 2 clicks.
- Think functionality as well as format - Consider specific features such as click-to-call (i.e. a button or image that a user can press to get an immediate connection with your business)
- Give mobile website users more options - Mobile device users tend to use social media and mobile apps that are more about connections, while a traditional website can get away with a one-way interaction. Offer links to social media, apps, promotions, QR codes, etc.)
- Track your mobile website results - Use free website analytics tools to help analyse how well your website is working for mobile users. If people are leaving your website immediately after they arrive from a smartphone, your site may not be working effectively for mobile device users.
10 Tips to Improve Business
Compiled by Steph Kendall
With over one billion people using Facebook every month throughout the world, it would be fair to say that there is a lot of potential business and a lot of potential customers out there. Using Facebook is still a relatively low-cost marketing strategy, through which you can share basic business information, photos and videos. You can also 'talk' to customers, provide customer support and raise your brand awareness. However, to market your business successfully, try to understand this social media phenomenon's unique properties. This month's tips focus on a few suggestions on how to use Facebook successfully in your marketing strategy:
- Don't use Facebook as a space for a 'hard sell' – It's a fun, social place where you need to join conversations and become part of a community, rather than a business presence that feels as if it is 'butting' in.
- Have a clear goal and strategy - It's important to have a clear goal for using Facebook, and a strategy to achieve that goal. For example, you may decide that your goal is to increase sales generated by Facebook by 10% in the next 6 months. Your strategy might include creating a post every day featuring a special offer using a coupon code, so the sale can be tracked back to Facebook.
- Create a human voice for your business – Give the person who manages your Facebook page permission to express things in their own words, not in company jargon.
- Post regularly - Unlike traditional media, an effective social media presence is built around frequent updates. Post when you have interesting content, but be balanced – try not to inundate your audience.
- Encourage comments and reply quickly - Encourage Facebook users to respond to your posts. When they do post, respond quickly - within 24 hours is best.
- Use pictures and videos - Pictures and videos are a major element of Facebook's appeal. Post photos of new events, news or staff, offer contests, games and surveys. Discounts and giveaways are the most popular reason for people to follow a business's Facebook page.
- Nurture your relationships – Be patient. Engage in conversation, provide useful content and develop rewards for loyal customers.
- Promote your Facebook page - If you have a Facebook page, promote it throughout your business. Provide your Facebook address on your letterhead, business card and website, in advertisements and in email signatures.
- Use Facebook Insights to learn more about your customers - Facebook Insights can tell you more about the people who choose to like your page. Once you know your Facebook friends' characteristics, you can tailor your posts and offers to meet their needs and interests.
- Avoid common mistakes – keep focussed and don't waste time on your page, update regularly, respond to customers and make sure you have a Facebook page and move with the times!
More Business Tips
You'll find more business tips in our newsletter archive, alongside:
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to Escape to Picton.
The design of this website dares to be a little different, most notably through the location of its main menu on the left hand side of the page. It's not usually where the main menu is located as the eye/person reads from top to bottom of the page and from left to right. This can feel a little peculiar, but see what you think.
The rest of the website features quality photography and elegant design touches such as the page watermark, the icons and elegant background framing. The website can be a little slow to load, the page text a little small to allow easy reading and has yet to be sufficiently optimised for search engines. However, the website is worth a look as it does its job - the accommodation looks just beautiful!
Nominate a Site
If you think a New Zealand travel or tourism website deserves a 'Top Tourism Site Award', let us know about it. (View further information about the award criteria).
About the Top Tourism Site Award
The New Zealand Tourism Guide confers a Top Tourism Site Award to websites that:
- Enhance New Zealand as a travel destination
- Publish useful and informative content
- Are laid out in a professional and aesthetically-pleasing manner
- Are designed effectively for the World Wide Web
- May demonstrate easy functionality, interactivity, originality, outstanding graphic quality and marketing reach.
We welcome any feedback — send your comments to: news@tourism.net.nz
Kind regards,
The Team
Ph 0800 14 65 49
www.tourism.net.nz
New Zealand Tourism Guide
Head Office: Ground Floor, 518 Colombo Street, Christchurch