Newsletter : February 2013
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide www.tourism.net.nz February 2013 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this February newsletter:
Promoting Experts on Local Knowledge
'Expert Local Knowledge throughout New Zealand' is the tagline being used in i-SITE's latest campaign to promote the network over the summer high season. In support of the i-SITE Strategy 2013-16, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the i-SITE network and its service offering to tourists.
All adverts feature a QR code, which takes visitors directly to the i-SITE section on newzealand.com when scanned. Here visitors can access a list of the 80 nationwide branches and the services provided. "Using a QR code helps us engage with tech savvy visitors - ensuring they are aware of the benefit of the personalised service a visit to an i-SITE Visitor Centre can provide during their stay, “says Paul Yeo, i-SITE Executive Manager.
A key point of difference for the adverts is the use of actual i-SITE consultants.
Running through to March the adverts will appear in 'Arrival' magazine distributed at Auckland International Airport from December-March, and Air New Zealand's January and February issues of 'Kia Ora', as well as in the international and domestic baggage claim areas in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports.
Find out more information on the i-SITE network here.
Are you using QR codes to promote your business? Find out more.
New Year of Good News from China
Tourism New Zealand says that total arrivals for the year ending December 2012 have reaffirmed the underlying growth in visitors, with arrivals only slightly down on the 2011 year and up 1.6 per cent on 2010.
Arrivals from Asia, in particular China, have continued to increase, while long-haul markets have remained challenging. The biggest story of the year was the dramatic growth from China which moved passed the USA and UK to become New Zealand's second largest source of visitors.
Arrivals from Asia increased, with China up 35.4 per cent for the year and Japan showing good signs of recovery with an increase of 4.5 per cent for the year. Kevin Bowler says the number of Chinese visitors will continue to grow, but it is not just a numbers game.
"Tourism New Zealand is leading a programme we're calling Premier Kiwi Partnership (PKP) in China to increase the availability of higher quality mono-New Zealand holidays through the Chinese travel trade. In time, this will result in more people choosing to visit just New Zealand, to stay for longer, do more, and ultimately, have a better experience to share with others on their return. Through PKP, we aim to change the nature of holidays taken by Chinese visitors and the contribution they make to the New Zealand economy. The first visitors on these new PKP itineraries will be arriving in the next few weeks for Chinese New Year.
Read more on marketing your business to non-English speakers:
The Word on WordPress Websites
Written by Steph Kendall
Wondering what all the fuss about WordPress websites is? Well, the short answer is that they are easy to use and easy to update content management system (CMS) based websites (CMS) that can be set up inexpensively. Templates look smart and professional, scale to different screen sizes and there are over 21,000 plug-ins to choose from! Read on:
What is WordPress?
WordPress was initially released as 'B2' in 2003 as a free tool for blogging (blog is short for 'web log' - basically an online diary). It is also a content management system (CMS), which enables website owners to manage their own website content (without programming knowledge). WordPress has been downloaded over 60 million times and it's estimated that it powers 22 of every 100 new active domains in the United States.
What's to like about WordPress?
There are numerous CMS systems to choose from including Joomla!, Drupla, ModX, Concrete5 and so on. However, WordPress seems to be establishing itself as one of the most popular for a number of reasons:
- Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses and blog publishers (although it is used for larger corporate and e-commerce websites)
- Quick to install (many hosting companies offer a one-click installation option)
- Easy to update, publish new content and maintain
- Has lots of search engine friendly features (plus SEO plug-ins) that make WordPress sites easy to optimise with high search engine rankings in mind
- Vast array of plug-ins (over 21,000) and enhancements available (i.e. tools that make websites easier to manage and which improve their content, usability and layouts etc). Plug-ins can help website owners to create forums, embed videos, manage statistics, set up spam protection, optimise their websites, add functionality, moderate forums, check spelling and grammar, generate site maps and much more.
- Huge template library (many of these are free design templates)
- Easy to use back-end (clear interface behind the scenes and very or no limited knowledge of coding required).
Top Tips for New WordPress Users
You may still need the services of a professional website developer and designer familiar with WordPress to create the über website you want, but if you're going to look at setting up your own website, here are a few tips to get you started.
- Host your own site! Plug-ins can only be installed in self-hosted Wordpress websites. If you use WordPress.com as your host, you won't be able to add plug-ins.
- Some hosting companies offer one-click installation for WordPress. Check before you sign up.
- Numerous domains can be managed on one hosting plan – you don't need a hosting plan for every domain. Look for a suitable plan.
- Use SEO plug-ins to optimise your website – one which stands out is the All in One SEO.
- Be mindful of your security as WordPress hacking is common. Google provides alerts on this within Webmaster Tools. The free Better WP Security plug-in is recommended.
- Look for a responsive template – this scales your website to the size of the screen used to view it making sites easily accessible by desktop computers, tablets and iphones.
- There are numerous guides available online for anyone new to WordPress. Check out this Step by Step Guide on YouTube and an introductory WordPress manual.
10 Tips to Improve Business
Written by Steph Kendall
- Plan ahead for key dates and offer promotions around days/events such as Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, New Year, etc.
- Set up or update your business profile on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
- Have some fun and create an enjoyable promotional YouTube clip to send via email marketing (to subscribed lists only) and post online.
- Make sure you are devising and sending out regular newsletters or promotional offers online to your database.
- Set up a short-term Google Adwords campaign with a dedicated landing page (advertorial page) and track your results.
- Buy a guestbook for your reception area and encourage your visitors to add their comments.
- TripAdvisor is a popular online resources site for visitors – encourage your visitors to add their positive feedback about your business on it. (Put a sign up about TripAdvisor, add a link to the website on your webpage or newsletter).
- Google your industry and see how you are faring online against your competition - you may need to optimise your website more if your website is low down on the results pages.
- It's sunny outside (mostly) - so why not make the most of the fine weather and arrange for some quality photographs of your business to be taken - preferably with people in them the same age as your target market.
- Review your marketing publications - both digital and print - and make sure that they are up-to-date and free from typos.
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to Omahau Downs.
With barely a cloud in the sky featuring in any of the site's photographs, this accommodation has really been shown off in its best light. Effective use of a mountain backdrop - the stunning Southern Alps - has been used on every page and overall this website echoes and promotes its accommodation product superbly through a fresh, light, spacious and appealing design. The image transitions in the banner draw one's attention and the navigation is clear and easy to use.
A few technical SEO improvements and adjustments to the readability of the website text, particularly on its home page could be made. Arguably the 'book now' call to action button/text is too subtle and more could be made of the 'Links' page, but an engaging well-presented website nonetheless.
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: Level One, 534 Colombo Street, Christchurch