Newsletter : December 2013
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide www.tourism.net.nz December 2013 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this December newsletter:
- The New Zealand Story - Toolkit for Small Businesses
- New Zealand Focuses on Golf Tourism
- G'day Canterbury - Direct Flights Launched from WA
- Auckland - The Show Never Stops
- Website Reviews for NZTG Business Centre Users
- 5 Ways to Get Ahead Online
- Traveller Newsletter Feature
- 10 Tips to Improve Business
- Tourism Site of the Month: Quinney's Bush
The New Zealand Story - Toolkit for Small Businesses
A collection of material called 'The New Zealand Story' was launched earlier this month to help New Zealand businesses communicate New Zealand's 'distinct and unique attributes' to overseas audiences. Minister for Economic Development Steven Joyce said, The New Zealand Story was designed to increase the competitiveness of Kiwi exporters overseas, "Many smaller businesses in particular have been calling for a New Zealand Story that explains what New Zealand has to offer and what makes us unique. We are a small country, and often outsiders don't understand who we are, how innovative we are, and what drives us."
Also promoting 'open space, open hearts, open minds,' The New Zealand Story is a free, permission based image and footage library to help show global markets the unique value of New Zealand, our people, culture and character.
Visit http://story.newzealand.com/ for more information (and inspiration).
New Zealand Focuses on Golf Tourism
A new Tourism New Zealand strategy targeting international golf tourists aims to boost current estimated annual expenditure from $145 million to $223 million within three years. Research found New Zealand is a distinctive, but largely undiscovered destination for golf enthusiasts. It identified clear markets including Australia, North America and China.
The strategy recommended the establishment of New Zealand Golf Tourism (NZGT) to provide the interface between stakeholders and Tourism New Zealand.
"Golf tourism provides untapped economic potential for the country - internationally golf tourism is a $32 billion market and New Zealand currently captures less than 0.3% of this," says TNZ's Andrew Fraser. "Marketing will be based on the concept of North and South Island Golf trails where travellers can come to New Zealand on an itinerary that takes in a number of marquee courses alongside unique community and regional courses. In addition to golf, the trails will take travellers to some of New Zealand's most unique tourism attractions and the best of our food, wine and accommodation offerings."
Tourism New Zealand is launching its first golf-focused, consumer marketing campaigns in the US on 1st December and second campaign in Australia, in February.
- The campaigns will work to increase awareness of New Zealand as a golf destination by profiling New Zealand courses ready to meet the needs and expectations of the international market.
- The golf strategy is part of Tourism New Zealand's work to attract higher-value visitors
- Membership of NZGT will be finalised by July 2014
- View more information about TNZ's golf marketing
G'day Canterbury - Direct Flights Launched from WA
Canterbury is being targeted as the next great location for West Australian travellers with the launch of direct flights twice weekly between Perth and Christchurch and TNZ's compelling new advertising campaign.
The strategic advertising campaign launching in November includes print, outdoor and online advertising channels. The growth in West Australian visitors to New Zealand has outpaced other Australian states with a 22 percent increase in visitors since 2010.
Auckland - The Show Never Stops
A campaign to get New Zealanders to embrace their biggest city as a place worth visiting has launched under the slogan 'The Show Never Stops'. Aucklanders are offered 50 to 85 per cent off a choice of 25 deals on activities across the region during November. Activities range from boat trips to Rangitoto to entry into Auckland attractions. The domestic visitor market is worth approximately $1.3 billion a year to the Auckland economy.
Next year, the second phase of the campaign will target residents of Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, as well as the 'fly-in' market in Wellington and Christchurch.
Website Reviews for NZTG Business Centre Users
Impartial opinion and advice about website presentation, content and optimisation is available from our newsletter writer and editor. Each website report typically includes:
- Review and comment on design and usability (ease of use, presentation of tools, page layout, size of banner pictures, use of photography, social media, fonts, consistency, etc.)
- Review of how a website uses optimisation techniques
- Analysis of SERP (search engine result page) listings
- Provision of effective Meta Titles and Descriptions
- Suggestions for keyword inclusion
- Site development/ content suggestions
Contact Steph Kendall directly to commission your website review and enquire about fees.
5 Ways to Get Ahead Online
Written by Steph Kendall
Businesses such as bed and breakfast accommodations appear online to offer an almost identical visitor experience down to the last detail and often look very similar in terms of online presentation. Nowadays most websites in highly competitive sectors of the tourism industry such as the B&B market are professionally designed, easy to use and attractive to look at. When it seems pretty much even stevens online between you and your competition, it's time to look at how you can add that something different that lures the online customer to you.
A 'Kiwi' USP
Aside from developing a 'kiwi' USP, here are five more ways to maximise your business's appeal via your website:
- Fresh Appeal
Keep content – especially on the home page – fresh and up to date. This is your 'shop front' for every web visitor that lands on your URL – how attractive would you find the local store if the window display was the same day after day and looking a bit dusty and yellow around the edges? Keep your home page interesting – add new photographs, blog posts and news, details of new offers, etc. - Target your Market
Think about what content might appeal to a specific segment of your market and highlight it on the home page. For example, a headline and short paragraph about the local gardens, winery, lake, beauty spot or mountain bike trails may easily attract a second-look from visitors who are interested in horticulture, New Zealand wines, fishing, photography or fitness. - Enticements for All
Add enticements – it's human nature to be attracted to competitions, special offers or 'freebies' – so think about how you can create one (at minimal cost if necessary) for your market. If you want to investigate further, visit Google Keyword Planner - "competitions" generates 5,010 searches on NZ Google every month, "competition" 5,250 and "free stuff" 6,980. - Value for Money
Make sure you mention everything that is included in your price, so the website visitor – and hopefully a future customer – really believes that they are getting value for their money. Think about the quality of your product, the service extras and how they benefit a visitor rather than simply listing every facility you have. - Increase the Size of Your Product
Create packages either within your business or with another local business, which you can market on your websites (e.g. accommodation + tour, activity + meal, etc.). Alternatively, create low-cost packages by utilising your own skills and interests. Consider:- Guided walking tours (include local history, anecdotes, sights of interest)
- Small group excursions to local beauty spot
- Cookery lessons
- Wine making seminars
- Health, beauty (nails, hair, massage) or fitness sessions
- Visit to natural hot springs
- Picnics / refreshments
Traveller Newsletter Feature
Thanks to all the businesses who responded to our invitation to be featured in our Traveller Newsletter last month. We will be reviewing these responses and highlighting businesses with unique 'kiwi' appeal in upcoming Traveller newsletters.
10 Tips to Improve Business
Compiled by Steph Kendall
- Create an editorial plan for your website – in particular make sure the home page is updated regularly and features interesting offers, new products, articles, tips or news. Fresh material is useful not only for retaining readers, but for including new keywords and monitoring site 'stickiness.'
- Take off your formal business hat - respond to any criticism or negative feedback in a real 'human' way rather than resort to impersonal, auto-generated responses such as "Your comment has been acknowledged. We will look into this matter further."
- Spend some of your time and resources marketing your business to the locals, who are potentially great 'repeat business' opportunities. Offer a special locals' discount.
- Visit your links page (once considered very useful for search engine optimisation) and delete any links that are out of date, links to directory website you have no association with and that are not of any genuine 'use' to your website visitors.
- Stay in touch with past visitors and customers through email and let them know when you have a new product or special deal coming up.
- Start a blog for your business and make a plan to update it regularly. Think of topics, assign authors and 'angles' well in advance. A great way to communicate with your audience and search engines will love it too.
- Consider using search engine advertising to boost visitor numbers to your website when you launch a special offer. Make sure you direct ads to a specially designed landing page to help you monitor campaign results.
- Make sure you are aware of current trends in the tourism industry, so you can piggyback international, national and regional marketing campaigns wherever possible.
- If you are updating your website with new content, make sure you check for any broken links or content repetition when you have finished.
More Business Tips
You'll find more business tips in our newsletter archive, alongside:
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to Quinney's Bush.
Quinney's Bush is a back-to-basics adventure camp 50km from Nelson set in spacious grounds of 10 hectares with native trees and safe river swimming with rope swing and slide. This is an attractive website created in a 'natural' colour palette, very much in keeping with its business. The website functionality is user-friendly and the design includes:
- A home page packed full of information including a news feed and revolving testimonials
- Very attractive graphics
- Easy to read font and easy to navigate menus
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, 518 Colombo Street, Christchurch