Newsletter : October 2004

brought to you by New Zealand Tourism Online www.tourism.net.nz

In this October Newsletter:

• NZTO Comment
• Whoops
• Wind In Your Hair
• Win With Auckland Explorer Bus
• Do You Want To Feature On TV?
• The Art of Compromise

NZTO Comment

by Garry Bond, General Manager, New Zealand Tourism Online

Well, we have some more good news! This time in the Deloitte/Unlimited Fast 50 for the second year running.

New Zealand Tourism Online climbed 9 places in the 2004 Deloitte/Unlimited Fast 50 announced yesterday (Thur 21st Oct 2004) to a ranking of 13th fastest growing company in New Zealand. We were one of only 5 companies to better their placement from 2003 and one of only 16 to make it into the Fast 50 for 2 or more years.

The Deloitte/Unlimited Fast 50 is an index of New Zealand's fastest growing companies based on percentage revenue growth. This year New Zealand Tourism Online completed its seventh year of operation with growth of over 400%.

In addition to our 13th placing, New Zealand Tourism Online was the South Island's 2nd fastest growing company and one of only two tourism companies to feature in the top 50.

New Zealand Tourism Online would like to take this opportunity to thank the many tourism businesses from around the country who help contribute to our continued success. It's been a wonderful year. The Fast 50 ranking and recent New Zealand Tourism Award not only provides our company and staff with public recognition but acknowledges that many of you belong to one of this countries leading tourism companies.

We're looking forward to extending our online and offline presence further in 2005. For more info about the Fast 50 click here and if you wish to extend your online exposure feel free to drop us an email.

Whoops

You may be aware that our Web site was down for a period over the long weekend.

This was due to software upgrades undertaken by our host here in New Zealand to improve backup systems for power outages. Fortunately the outage was limited to a few hours and the problem has now been repaired.

We have been very fortunate in the past with outages and the only one we have experienced was when a transformer blew up causing power cuts to a lot of the surrounding area. Our host guarantees 99.9% reliability and to date this has proven correct.

Our goal is 100% up time for our Web site to ensure you continue to get maximum exposure for your business on the Internet. We have invested heavily in our systems to ensure we achieve as close to this as possible.

Wind In Your Hair

Now you can hire or cruise Christchurch on a brand new Harley Davidson motorbike with South Pacific Motorcycle Tours. Besides dealing directly with end customers, South Pacific also works in with Inbound Tour Operators and Tourism Operators from around New Zealand.

"There's a big demand out there", says Mike Lester, Managing Director of South Pacific Motorcycle Tours, which specialises in BMW and Harley Davidson rentals, guided tours and cruiser rides.

"Tourists and locals alike can now enjoy something they have only ever dreamed about", continues Mike, "and that's riding or being taken as a pillion passenger on our brand new shiny Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail or Road King. The views are awesome and cruising the fabulous Canterbury hills, countryside and beaches is just brilliant."

"We offer a first class service with first-class machines" Mike says, "and there's a price to suit everyone's pocket. Our motto is 'ride New Zealand - live the dream' - and we intend to help people do just that!"

South Pacific Motorcycle Tours operate a unique service whereby you're picked up and taken back to their premises at their own superb country Bed & Breakfast, Mandeville Lodge. Then check out your bike and everything imaginable to ensure your adventure of a life-time.

"Many people stay with us before and after" explains Carole, Manager and partner. "And if it's a special occasion why not hire our bikes, stay at our place for a special weekend 'mini-break' or perhaps hire a Harley for your wedding!" The possibilities are endless...

For wholesale or general enquires please call South Pacific on 03 312-0244, drop them an email or visit their Web site at www.motorbiketours.co.nz

Win with Auckland Explorer Bus

Here's a chance to win return airfares for two to Kuala Lumpur!

Auckland Explorer Bus sponsors, Malaysia Airlines, have generously donated two return airfares to Kuala Lumpur as a prize for a joint promotion between themselves and the Auckland Explorer Bus through the summer season.

The competition is for the south of Auckland and Airport motels and hotels that support the Auckland Explorer Bus pickup service. For every complimentary pickup booked from the motel/hotel in the pickup area, one entry will be put into the draw. At the end of the Auckland Explorer Bus summer season 15 April 2005, the winner will be drawn by a Malaysia Airlines representative and the lucky winners advised.

The summer timetable kicks off 18 October 2004 and goes through until 15 April 2005.

If you're a motel or hotel in the designated pickup area and wish to use the Auckland Explorer Bus then details for the pickup service are in the new Auckland Explorer Bus brochure. For any queries please don't hesitate to phone either Clare or Mark on (09) 571-3119 or 0800 4 EXPLORER or check out the Explorer Bus Web site.

Do You Want To Feature On TV?

SBS TV in Australia are planning to film a New Zealand adventure episode of the popular SBS TV series "Pizza" in the coming months. They are arranging a trip to New Zealand for 3 or 4 days with a cast and crew of 6 and are looking for sponsorship (accommodation, transport, activities etc). Your logo would appear in the credits of the episode for the companies involved in the production. The episode would feature New Zealand as a destination for the fun loving and adventurous.

One full episode will be shot over 3 days and will be on-air across Australia in March or April 2005.

In case you're not aware, "Pizza" is a light hearted comedy sitcom shot entirely on location revolving around Pauly the pizza delivery guy whose job as a pizza delivery guy is anything but ordinary. "Pizza" has been airing on SBS TV since 1999. A series of 10 episodes reaches an audience of 4,000,000 people across the country. The audience age groups vary from 16+, 16-24 and 34-39. The program has been nominated for TV Week Logie Awards many times over the last four years.

Most recently SBS have filmed some specials and international episodes of "Pizza" in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Italy. These programs are currently being broadcast.

If you'd like to be considered then contact the Producer, Deb Spinocchia (Pizza - SBS TV) on phone +64 (2) 9430-3474, fax +64 (2) 9438-1590 or email her. Please mention our New Zealand Tourism Online in any correspondence.

The Art of Compromise

by Mark Rocket and Simon Leslie, Avatar Web Promotions

Creating a successful Web presence involves walking the tightrope of compromise. You need to keep in mind the needs of your viewers, your business, Web site browser software and search engines. Each party has quite different requirements, so it can often be quite difficult to satisfactorily come up trumps on all fronts.

Being search engine people, we're especially interested in meeting search engine needs early on in the design phase of Web site development. One important thing to think about is what are the main ways viewers find your Web site? If it's through a search engine, then you may need to rethink the emphasis of your design.

A common mistake is to treat search engine optimisation as an afterthought. It should be a main component of the design process and considered at every stage thereafter. We suggest you consult a search specialist before you create your site and base the site's architecture on their recommendations. By incorporating 'search' into your design all the site's stakeholders win.

Carefully consider your home page. Think of it as a table of contents, both for your visitors and for search engines. Avoid large graphics and animation at the expense of information. Search engines simply want to deliver users to content pages that contain the information they're searching for.

The information on your content pages should be focused. Consider what your target audience searches for and write your content with your subject firmly in mind. Focus on your subject from introduction to conclusion.

The tightrope of compromise can often be a real balancing act. You need to balance the code, text and graphics. Keyword dense text might deliver visitors, but it can also be a little kludgy and repetitive to read. A site with too few graphics may not communicate desirable attributes such as professionalism, credibility and trust. Search engine optimisation is focused on getting traffic to a site, but once a viewer arrives then they need to have a deep and meaningful experience with your business.

We welcome any feedback or contributions for our next newsletter - just email our team web@tourism.net.nz

Regards,

The Team
Ph. 0800 14 65 47
https://www.tourism.net.nz
New Zealand Tourism Online Limited
Head Office: 208 Cashel Street, Christchurch