Newsletter : April 2016
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide www.tourism.net.nz April 2016 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this April newsletter:
Business Events Are Major NZ Growth Area
New Zealand's business sector is generating high value for the country's tourism sector and it's only going to rise, according to Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ).
International convention delegates are spending twice as much as other visitors to New Zealand, with an estimated spend of $350 per night and spending up 15% from 2014 to December 2015.
Business events were highlighted as a major growth sector for New Zealand. Latest figures show overseas delegates accounted for 44% of total visitor nights from conventions and conferences.
- The two-day CINZ MEETINGS hosted 600 domestic and international buyers and generated $56 million in business bookings.
- Domestic conference attendees are especially important to regional New Zealand, averaging $509 per night, up 15% from 2014.
Brits Vote New Zealand the Winner Again
The Taieri Gorge Railway was one of 26 reasons Britain's Daily Telegraph listed as to why New Zealand is the world's best country.
The annual Telegraph Travel Awards were voted on by more than 75,000 readers, with New Zealand emerging as the clear winner for the fourth consecutive year.
On their website they consider whether the Taieri Gorge is the "best train journey in the world". They refer to it as "one of the most scenic [train journeys], heading 50-miles into mountain scenery that is difficult to access otherwise." Their other reasons included landscapes that "make you want to applaud", "magnificent Māori culture" and that "it really does look like Middle Earth". Shout outs were given to 90 Mile Beach, Napier's art deco architecture, the "extraordinary kakapo" and the All Blacks' haka.
Air New Zealand also featured in the awards, coming in at third place for best long-haul airline, after Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
The Changing Face and Pace of Glaciers
Last month, we talked about the rapid rate at which the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers on the West Coast are melting. What we didn't mention was New Zealand's longest glacier on the other side of the Southern Alps, the Tasman Glacier. This glacier is 27km long and covers an area of 101 square kilometres, below the country's highest mountain – Mount Cook. The Tasman Glacier offers some of the best heli-hiking in the country because of the shear amount of ice in the valley and the size of the glacier.
The Tasman Glacier's rapidly growing terminal lake is popular with visitors exploring by boat and it's predicted that the lake will reach its maximum size in the next 20 years. In the meantime, as this glacier retreats, the terminus is calving resulting in highly picturesque icebergs of every shape and size in the water. (Sea kayaking tours on the lake are offered by local operators, as is glacier skiing in the winter months.)
Travel Art with a Vintage Touch
If you need a graphic designer specializing in travel artwork, then take a look at the work of Mike Swallow. He works with tourism companies, travel guide companies and individuals to create vintage style travel artwork.
He has recently completed a series of 12 New Zealand pieces of artwork with the vintage touch (click to view).
Buzzwords Without the Buzz
Sourced by Stephanie Kendall
Within your business, you have literature – business plans, marketing strategies, operations manuals, website pages, elevator speeches, social media posts and tweets, advertisements, brochures and so forth. Have you ever looked at your literature and assessed your buzzword usage? (Buzzwords are words or phrases – often jargon based – that become fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.)
Many tourism businesses will own a library of business and marketing literature. For the purpose of keeping up with the times, it's rather interesting to consider what 'buzzwords' you are still using in your library that may be considered past their sell by date. According to some online analysts and authors, if you need to use buzzwords – you also need to know when to stop.
We've taken a semi-serious look at some of the most overused, outdated and clichéd buzzwords...
Hackneyed Buzzwords
- Best of Breed - Yes, apparently this was/is a buzzword – there are better ways to boast than by using dog show comparisons.
- Big Data - This term describes a set of data that is too large or complex to be processed using traditional methods. But it's too broad to be meaningful in many circumstances.
- Blogosphere - The blogosphere is a rather fancy word for every blog online or in a particular niche.
- Game Changer - Many businesses seem to have an inordinate number of 'game changer' moments...
- Guru - Anyone can call themselves a guru without actually being expert in anything.
- Heavy Lifting - This term is often used to describe the important or laborious tasks required to run a business.
- Hit the Ground Running - The oft-expressed desire to get started on something right away, but a specific timeline is usually more helpful.
- Influencers - Almost as bad as 'Thought Leaders'... this has become a popular term in the business community. It is supposed to mean a person who has influence in a particular niche or area, but fails to describe what the person does or why they are supposed to have influence.
- Onboarding - Not to be confused with out boarding - this refers to the ways new employees learn the skills and information required to succeed in a company.
- Outside the Box - For aeons, people used this term to reference creative thinking. But in business, most issues require some level of creativity - using this term is often plain unnecessary.
- Paradigm Shift - Worth throwing into everyday speak just for fun! This is another term used to describe a change in business practices. It can come across as an attempt to cover up a mistake with fancy language.
- Strategic - In business, everything you do should be well thought out and part of an overall plan. So calling something "strategic" shouldn't even be necessary. It should be a given.
- Synergy - Used to convey elements that work together to create a total effect. Now comes across as a filler.
- Thought Leader - This term is used to describe a person who is recognized as an authority in a particular field. However, an actual job title or some credentials can mean a lot more than applying this general term to anyone who has an opinion about an industry.
- Finally, One Stop Shop - The one that really makes me groan [Ed]!
Next month, we'll look at popular buzzwords for 2016 so you can throw them around to your hearts' content.
Are You Happy With Your Website?
Are you happy with your current website? If so - that's great, but if you are inclined to think that it's a bit dated and/or isn't mobile friendly (up to 50% of travellers are looking at a website with a mobile phone or tablet), then New Zealand Tourism Guide can help out. With online tourism industry experience since 1997 we know what we are doing - and a new website shouldn't cost you a fortune. For just $795 + GST (one off setup fee) and $10 + GST per month for hosting we'll sort you out with a brand new fully responsive website.
If you are interested, we'll provide an obligation free snapshot of what your new website homepage would look like.
We'll review your current site and will provide a pretty picture of what your site could be. Just email tristan@tourism.net.nz and we'll get the ball rolling.
Tools for Business: Snapchat (Advertising)
Have you heard of Snapchat? It is a mobile messaging application used to share photos, videos, text, and drawings. Messages self-destruct after a few seconds of a person viewing them. It's free to download the app and free to send messages using it. It has become hugely popular in a very short space of time, especially with young people.
- More than 60% of U.S. 13 to 34-year-old smartphone users are Snapchatters
- 8+ billion video views every day on Snapchat
- Over 100 million daily active Snapchatters and growing
- Over 60% of people who use Snapchat daily create content every day
- Snapchat is the best way to reach 13 to 34 year-olds.
Snapchat is definitely one to watch in the arena of social media marketing, a perfect vehicle to reach 13 – 34 year-olds – especially when its 3V Advertising opportunity is better developed. So here's a bigger snap shot about Snapchat:
- Snapchat is primarily used for creating multimedia messages referred to as "snaps"
- Snaps can consist of a photo or short video, and can be edited to include filters and effects, text captions, and drawings
- Snaps can be directed to a semi-public "Story" or sent privately to specific friends
- The message can be viewed for a user-specified length of time (1 to 10 seconds) before it becomes inaccessible
- Its founder says that Snapchat is intended to counter-act the trend of users being compelled to manage an idealised avatar of themselves online, which he says has "taken all of the fun out of communicating"
Snapchat 3V Advertising – Vertical, Video, Views
- Snapchat claim to offer targeted advertising in a way that also promotes the privacy of Snapchatters. Depending on an advertiser's campaign goals, ads on Snapchat can be targeted by Live Story program, Discover Channel, location, and/or gender.
- 3V ads appear inside premium and curated contexts.
- 3V ads are not just about views, they are about great video ads made for your phone that are 100% viewable. (i.e. videos are made to be vertical content)
Find out more at Snapchat - interesting reading!
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to Tussock Country.
Tussock Country is the first Qualmark Endorsed Glamping Accommodation Provider offering a mobile, glamping service in tents that are fully furnished with comfortable beds and ensuite facilities.
The website is elegant and easy to navigate, the photos are engaging (starring real people and not photo library or magazine stills) and the content is written with a minimum of fuss and hyperbole. The real winner from many thoughtful elements of design, however, may just have to be the shout line on the home page - simply reading "Wake Up to This View."
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