Newsletter : December 2017
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide December 2017 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this December newsletter:
- Tourism Celebrates SH1 Re-Opening
- Latest Statistics NZ Figures Provide Food for Thought
- Winter Holidays 'Away' in NZ for Aussies
- New Data Driving Trade Decisions
- Landmarks Launch Encourages Visitors to Otago
- Tips for Business: Intercultural Skills for Good Customer Service (new series)
- Tourism Site of the Month: Alpine View Motel
Tourism Celebrates SH1 Re-Opening
New Zealand's tourism industry is celebrating the reopening of State Highway 1 north of Kaikōura as an important step in the region's recovery. Although motorists can expect some delays and closures while work continues on the new road, it reopens access to Kaikōura from the north and make it easier for New Zealanders and international visitors to visit the world-famous destination.
Since the earthquake, TIA has led KE-TAG (Kaikōura Earthquake - Tourism Action Group) to guide the coordination of the tourism industry and government response to the impacts on tourism. Eight industry organisations were represented (TIA, Hospitality New Zealand, Local Government New Zealand, Regional Tourism New Zealand, the Rental Vehicle Association, Restaurant Association of New Zealand and the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand), alongside four central government agencies (the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, New Zealand Transport Agency and Tourism New Zealand).
The group has met regularly throughout the year to monitor the responses, identify any gaps in the response and take action as required.
Latest Statistics NZ Figures Provide Food for Thought
The latest Statistics NZ figures show previous estimates of earnings from the cruise industry may have been overstated and the tourism industry says the rising GST take from visitors reinforces its case for more investment in infrastructure.
- Total tourism spending was up 1.9 per cent ($686 million) for the 12 months to March, following an 11 per cent increase the previous year.
- Kiwi tourists spent $21.4b in the year to March, up 4 per cent.
- Overseas visitor spending dropped by $135 million to $14.5b, even though international arrivals increased just under 9 per cent.
- International tourists paid $1.5b in GST, with a further $1.8b collected from domestic visitors.
- International tourism remained New Zealand's largest export earner and was responsible for a fifth of earnings from all exports of goods and services.
- Cruise ships contributed $306m to tourism coffers last year. It accounted for 5.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and directly employs 230,793 people or 8.4 percent of the workforce.
Release of the official Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) was delayed by several months so more up to date figures could be included. However, industry leaders have criticised the accuracy of material fed into the TSA through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) international visitor survey. They questioned data which showed spending by international tourists was falling or remaining static despite increased arrivals.
For the first time the official statistics cover spending related to cruise ship visits which was worth $306m to the economy, up 12.5 per cent on the previous year. The estimate includes fuel, produce and other supplies, onshore spending and excursions, but excludes airfares for international passengers and crew, and cruise spending by New Zealanders.
The Stats NZ figure is well below the $624m estimate in a financial impact report published by the sector organisation Cruise New Zealand in August. The difference was particularly marked in Auckland with Stats NZ putting the cruise ship spend at $96m, compared with the cruise industry estimate of $419m.
Winter Holidays 'Away' in NZ for Aussies
Tourism New Zealand is targeting Australian skiers with a short summer campaign to draw them to the South Island's slopes next winter.
Tony Saunders, Tourism New Zealand said that in addition to the North Island winter touring campaign that starts in February, TNZ is also running two short bursts of campaign activity in December and January, promoting winter holidays, showcasing the ski offering in the Queenstown and Christchurch/Canterbury regions.
"We know from research that about 20 per cent of Australians who have yet to decide where to go for their winter holiday will start researching and booking as early as December/January," says Saunders. "We are showing Australians that New Zealand has world class ski fields among stunning scenery that is worth travelling for. The message for our summer campaign and our North Island winter touring campaign is that rather than thinking that Australia has everything for a winter holiday, we want people to grab their partner or mates and book a winter holiday in New Zealand."
The campaign will use short video and content developed for the successful 2017 ski campaign. It will run on Facebook and Instagram and will drive visitors to the newzealand.com skihub/campaign pages.
- Australia is New Zealand's largest single market for skiing, accounting for nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of our ski visitors.
- More than half (59 per cent) of the Australians who visit New Zealand to ski make a repeat visit.
New Data Driving Trade Decisions
Access to new data has enabled Tourism New Zealand to better measure the coverage and impact of its trade marketing activity in nine key markets. The data was sourced from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which links the sales of airline tickets to specific IATA numbers— essentially tracking the booking process of travellers who book through travel agents. It contains statistics on some of New Zealand's key markets, including Australia, China, USA, UK, Germany, Japan, India, Argentina, and Brazil.
It showed that:
- More than half of all air travel to New Zealand is booked through traditional and online travel agents.
- Travel agencies engaged with Tourism New Zealand have higher market shares of sales to New Zealand than those that don't.
- Almost half of all Australians use travel agents to book holidays to New Zealand.
- More than 70 per cent of travellers from the other eight markets use travel agents to book holidays to New Zealand.
The data also identifies which travel agencies are selling the most New Zealand holidays in their respective markets, the booking share of New Zealand compared to other competing destinations, and how far in advance of travel customers are purchasing their tickets.
Presentations on the findings will be available on the Tourism New Zealand website early next year.
Landmarks Launch Encourages Visitors to Otago
Landmarks Whenua Tohunga in Otago was launched this month, a project which recognises 12 of the region's most important historic and cultural sites. It is designed to inspire locals and visitors - both domestic and international - to learn more about the places and stories that have shaped our nation. The Landmarks-recognised sites are located across the region, encouraging people to travel to less-visit areas of Otago.
Landmarks is planned to be steadily rolled out across other New Zealand regions. Otago region sites recognised by Landmarks are:
Arrowtown, Bannockburn Sluicings, Dunedin Railway Station, Hayes Engineering Works, Historic Oamaru, Kawarau Suspension Bridge, Larnach Castle, Olveston, Otago Central Rail Trail, Taieri Gorge Railway, Totara Estate and TSS Earnslaw.
Tips for Business: Intercultural Skills for Good Customer Service (new series)
Visitors to New Zealand come from all over the world including Australia, Japan, United States, South Korea, China, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil/Argentina, India, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
They come for many reasons - short or long-term business trips or holidays, or visits to family and friends. You may meet overseas visitors as part of your work, or simply as a civilian 'cultural ambassador'. By greeting and welcoming people, accepting them and making them feel we are pleased to see them, we create a "good impression" and they'll probably want to come back again.
Most visitors do not have the same cultural background as we do in New Zealand and often do not speak English. Taking time to learn about how people from other cultures communicate, do things and what they expect, goes a long way in establishing good customer service and positive relationships.
Knowing that people react, behave and communicate differently, have different customs and habits, different attitudes and different expectations to us is important - and of course, it's important to remember that people are individuals and may not fit a 'cultural stereotype.'
Over the next few months, Business Tips will focus on tips for giving great customer service to international visitors - or in the meantime, you may want to dip into topics such as these independently:
- The importance of and differences in body language
- Active listening and understanding
- Looking at how to speak effectively
- Putting things clearly in writing
- Showing awareness of and respect for differences
- Welcoming visitors from China
- Welcoming visitors from the USA
- Welcoming visitors from Japan
- Welcoming visitors from Germany
- Welcoming visitors from France
- Welcoming visitors from India
- Welcoming visitors from Spain
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to Alpine View Motel.
This accommodation is located near Lake Te Anau and is family and pet friendly. In fact, it is Te Anau's only pet friendly motel - worth remembering if you're heading to Fiordland. The website has a responsive design geared to easy reading and navigation on desktop, mobile and tablet devices. The striking banner images look especially effective on a mobile phone screen. The text is clearly written in short, simple sentences communicating information clearly and directly. An excellent marketing tool and congratulations to Alpine View Motel.
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
- June 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