Glaciers in New Zealand
Maori children
Northland, New Zealand
Queen Charlotte Sound
Routeburn Track
Boating in Taupo
Tongariro, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand

Newsletter : April 2007

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

NZTO Comment

by Garry Bond, General Manager, New Zealand Tourism Online

Communication is a powerful tool. And in tourism it's especially powerful because we are all trying to portray what the country has to offer and more importantly from your point of view, what you have to offer. While Tourism New Zealand plays a large part in getting peoples attention, the rest of it is up to us. For New Zealand Tourism Online, it's our job as a major tourism Web site to ensure tourism operators are effectively promoted while providing up-to-date information and a site that's easy to get around. It's then your job to entice those people to go to the next level and make an enquiry or book.

Overall the quantity of tourism operators in New Zealand with Web sites is good. After all the Internet accounts for a fair few bookings these days. In terms of Web site quality, that does vary to be honest, and this is where we can fall down a bit especially when the potential visitor believes your Web site is a true reflection of your business. It's one thing for a potential visitor to click off your site because it's not in their price bracket, but you definitely don't want to put them off because your site isn't appealing or is too hard to navigate. Take your own site for a test run. Ask your friends or better still, complete strangers to give you their honest opinion. If we all make an effort to portray our businesses well, then it also reflects well on New Zealand as a destination.

Also don't forget that you need to be able to be contacted easily. Our team communicates with hundreds of tourism operators every week and you'd be surprised at the number of answer phones, or just how hard it is to reach anyone at all. Try to get back to enquiries quickly. Just imagine you are travelling to England and you send a few enquiries away for accommodation in a particular area. Are the emails you receive back the earliest, more likely to get your business? And don't underestimate the instant booking scenario. In this day and age, the planning cycle for the traveller is shorter and having the ability for those people to book instantly with a confirmation is growing.

Audio Visual Clip Update

Air Fiordland sample audio visual clipOver 200 tourism operators have now taken a multimedia audio visual clip which means a new directory within the www.tourism.net.nz Web site has been created to cope with the numbers.

If you have an audio visual clip or are about to order one from us, you will now gain extra exposure here. Take a quick look.

We have linked this directory to our home page side menu and to our Visitor Information section for additional coverage.

New Zealand Tourism Online has also entered the audio visual in the Tourism Awards this year as an innovative new product.

This product is geared entirely towards helping you convert “lookers into bookers”.

Click to view audio visual clipThis audio visual product is designed to be cost effective and compelling, with the images and sound combination really helping liven up your site visitors experience. The audio visual attaches to your listing on our site and includes button options and links so you can use it on your own Web site or in emails to your customers!

Key Features

  • Low cost
  • Fast loading
  • Communicate key messages and images in a focused format
  • Suitable for both small and larger tourism operators across all market sectors
  • Very appealing to your potential customers with additional conversion opportunities
  • Professionally recorded soundtrack of your key messages
  • Excellent selection of background music
  • Enhance your NZTO listing, see Air Fiordland listing example - Media Clip link
  • Enhance your NZTO Web page if you have one, see Air Fiordland Web page example - Details Box
  • Add to your own Web site after we supply you with button and text options
  • Include it in your own emails to potential customers

BONUS DEAL

You'll get all of this for just $395 + GST for the 1st year and $195 + GST for 2nd year. Includes:

- Professional multimedia audio visual clip
- Personalised code and button so you can add it to your own Web site and in your emails
- Listing in the audio visual directory on www.tourism.net.nz

BONUS
- Listing on the specialised tourism multimedia audio visual Web site (under construction) worth $195 + GST (click here for a sneak preview)

You guys have done Ko Tane proud. I'm really happy with the clip, but most of all the pronunciation of Māori words is excellent."

Dave Brennan, Ko Tane, Christchurch

This is a great time of the year to get your one up and running. Plan now for the season ahead and get your order in now! Contact your tourism consultant or one of our specialist product Managers (Mike O'Sullivan on 0800 14-65-52 or Mike Kaye on 0800 14-65-54 for more information - yes both are called Mike). 

Who Are You Dealing With?

New Zealand Tourism Online www.tourism.net.nz are proud of our name.From small beginnings in the 1990s, we have worked to build up our brand, image, reputation and Web site to a professional, award-winning standard. So, it's important that you do not confuse us with other organisations that may have a similar name and/or Web site address.

Recently, we talked to tourism operators who marketed their business on another Web site (NZ Online) thinking they were marketing their site through New Zealand Tourism Online. Please ensure that if you are contacted by any other organisation, you check their credentials and Web site carefully.

The last thing we want is for you to be misinformed or disappointed with your marketing decision because you thought you were dealing with us.

Site Maps and Search Engines

The structure of your Web site plays a key role in obtaining search engine rankings. If your Web site structure is too complex, the search engines may not be able to find the pages you want ranked. Fortunately, there exists a site map strategy that will provide an open door to search engines for just about any Web site, ultimately increasing your odds for ranking success. The strategy is to provide a standard site map Web page as well as a search engine site map to glean the benefits of both applications.

Step 1: Create a Site map Web Page

The purpose of a site map is to provide visitors with an alternative and perhaps faster method of finding a specific page or section within your website. The secondary purpose is to provide a single page where a search engine can reach every page within your website. Here are some considerations when creating or optimising your Web site's site map for best results:

1. Begin creating the site map with a link to the home page and then work your way down listing the links to each of the main sections of your Web site.

2. Next, under each main section create another tier to list the links from that page to further pages deeper within the section. Ultimately, the site map will end up looking like a book's table of contents.

3. Once you have created this link-based table of contents, go back to the top of the page and then convert each link into text links using the title of the linked page (or good page-descriptive text). For example, on the home page you would add the title tag and then make those words into a link to the home page. Do this for all links on the page.

4. Once the site map is complete, add a link to it from the footer of every page within your Web site.

Congratulations, now you have an effective site map which will allow visitors and search engines alike to find pages deep within your Web site.

Step 2: Create a Site map Specifically for Search Engines

A search engine site map (meant only for search engines to see) is a tool provided by Google, Yahoo!, and MSN to allow webmasters to suggest how often, and in what order, a search engine should spider each page within their Web sites.

Creating a search engine site map is quite simple thanks to a free online tool at XML-Sitemaps.com that will automatically spider your Web site and create the site map for you. They offer up to 500 Web pages maximum spidered for free. For more than 500 Web pages there is a cost involved. The site even provides step-by-step instructions on how to add the site map to your Web site. The specifics aren't covered in this article because it may be technical enough that you should have your webmaster handle it for you. If, however, you want to handle this yourself, it is explained well on the XML-Sitemaps.com Web site. Once the site map is complete, there are further instructions on the web site on how to submit the site map to the search engines for spidering.

Conclusion

So why two kinds of sitemaps? The first site map you created added a beneficial resource for your site visitors as well as the search engines. It also provided the additional benefit of adding keyword weight to the linked pages.

The search engine site map provides you with the knowledge that the search engines know, without a doubt, which pages you want them to add to their databases, how often, and in what order.

Web Site Credibility

In an Internet world surrounded by phishing scams, identity theft,and viruses, everyone is concerned about the risks associated with making a booking or signing up for a newsletter. Even large companies with well known brands have these issues. If you fail to deal with credibility on your site, you'll reduce converting lookers to bookers.

Start from the point of view that people have no idea who you are. Then do all you can to establish credibility and remove fears.

What Increases Credibility?

* A professional looking site with images and clear text or messages.

* A good user experience with easy navigation.

* In the case of newsletters a clear privacy policy statement which outlines in simple terms how information will be used. For bookings, a clear statement on what happens next and easy to read terms and conditions.

* Logos and links that demonstrate your connection to industry, security, business and privacy standards i.e. Tourism Industry Association Member or secure credit card facilities.

* Timely and relevant testimonials calm fears.

* Claims that are substantiated i.e. Tourism Award winner.

* Contact information with hours of operation, physical address, location map, names, phone numbers, email contact and/or instant booking options.

* Frequently asked questions.

What Decreases Credibility?

* No "contact us" link on the home page.

* Unexpected redirects to sites outside of the initial domain.

* Poor spelling, grammar, information hierarchy, usability.

* Lengthy, complex forms asking for unnecessary information.

* Lack of a secure transaction server.

* Omitted information that is essential to the traveller making a decision.

* Poor terms and conditions i.e. refund or cancellation policy.

Credibility Testing

Try to measure your site's Credibility by conducting a quick user test. People you hire to test your site are more likely to give you an honest answer. Maybe drop by an Internet café, approach a couple of strangers, and offer them money to test your site.

Ask them to imagine that they were thinking about staying, booking or visiting your business. Afterwards, ask them about how they felt about the site, and whether they would be comfortable with going to next level i.e. booking. Ask how easy it was to navigate. Watch what they do as well. Hesitation will give you an idea that they aren't sure of something.

We welcome any feedback — send your comments to :

Regards,

The Team
Ph 0800 14 65 49
https://www.tourism.net.nz
New Zealand Tourism Online Limited
Head Office: 179 Tuam Street, Christchurch

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