Newsletter : November 2016
Written by Steph Kendall
Welcome to the New Zealand Tourism Guide www.tourism.net.nz November 2016 issue. If you have news or comments, please email us news@tourism.net.nz.
In this November newsletter:
Still Safe to Come - Get the Message Out
The story of 14 November (at time of writing):
- A severe magnitude 7.8 quake struck near Culverden in Canterbury at 12:02am on Monday 14 November.
- Two people died because of the quake.
- An effort is underway to get aid to quake-ravaged Kaikoura.
- Aftershocks continue to rattle the country.
The New Zealand Herald Business reports (15 November) that Prime Minister John Key says he is worried that New Zealand's image as a tourist destination will be damaged by the earthquakes. "The thing I don't like about it is these images were all around the world, we did quite a bit of international media, people cut off your coverage, people just worry about earthquakes," the prime minister said. "We need to reassure people that the quality of our buildings is very high, truthfully still, the probability of an earthquake is very low, and we're good at handling that."
He said the way the country handled and coped with tourists after disasters was critically important. Tourism is the country's biggest foreign exchange earner and tourist operators have been looking forward to a bumper summer.
Operations such as Kaikoura's Whale Watch and Hanmer Springs' thermal attractions would be affected by the damage caused. However, tourist organisations say while some travellers have had their travel plans disrupted, most of the country is largely unaffected by the quake and aftershocks and it's important this message gets out.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said that after the Christchurch earthquakes, other regions that hadn't been directly impacted suffered a significant drop off in visitors. "We don't want a repeat of that. Travel to North Canterbury is not currently advisable, but for Christchurch and elsewhere we really hope people continue to travel for business and leisure." Roberts reiterated that New Zealand remains a safe a place to visit. The Chinese market was vulnerable to shocks like natural disasters and terrorism, which had deterred many from visiting Europe during the past year.
Roberts said the typical eight-day itinerary for a Chinese visitor took in Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch and Queenstown. If they followed that programme they would be unaffected by the quakes.
A number of visitors are currently stuck in Kaikoura and Hanmer Springs and are being helped by the local tourism businesses. Tour operators are busy rearranging itineraries for groups that were due in the area. They are also reassuring those yet to arrive in New Zealand that it is still safe to come.
Hospitality NZ chief executive Vicki Lee said her organisation had been in contact with Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura members. Many had big clean ups underway and are keen to get back on track. "Like many countries, New Zealand gets earthquakes and this time it is North Canterbury's turn to bear the brunt. It's going to take a while to truly gauge the timeline to get State Highway 1 open again, so new travel routes will be needed."
According to Google Trends, the number of searches for the phrase "is it safe to travel to New Zealand" has increased exponentially since the earthquake.
Chinese Travellers - One Chinese inbound operator said there had been a lot of discussion about the earthquakes at a travel trade event in Shanghai yesterday but she had not been told of any cancellations from groups or individuals. The Chinese market grew at nearly 24 per cent to more than 400,000 in the last year but is susceptible to shocks such as natural disasters and terrorism, which had deterred tourists from China visiting Europe in the last 12 months.
China Travel Services founder Lisa Li said because there wasn't a high death toll from this week's quakes she did not think visitors would be put off. Her firm had posted video on social media showing tourists continuing to enjoy their holidays.
Tourism Export Council chief executive Lesley Immink said while the Chinese market "took a big gulp," she had heard no reports of cancellations. "The positive stories about how New Zealand deals with adversity far outweigh the negative ones."
Tourism New Zealand - Said its current focus was on working alongside other agencies and the industry to get accurate information about the current situation in New Zealand out to trade partners.
"We want people to understand that much of New Zealand is unaffected by the recent quakes and that there are many alternatives available to people who wish to travel here, but have concerns," said spokeswoman Deborah Gray. "In the coming weeks we will look at whether specific campaigns are needed in response to this week's events."
South Island Visitors Go West
The Herald on Sunday reports tourists heading to the South Island's West Coast in droves after the east coast earthquake disrupted their holiday plans. On the West Coast, locals are reporting a huge increase in traffic volumes and tourists coming to stay. West Coasters spoken to by the Herald were highly sympathetic of the plight of quake-stricken east-siders.
But the influx of numbers is providing an unexpected financial boost to a region that has had more than its share of adversity and economic insecurity in recent years.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said there had been a "massive" increase inquiries throughout the region since the quake. "We don't want to gain from the misery on the other coast and in Wellington but the fact is that because of the massive upheavals of the rail system and the road over there, there is already a noticeable increase in tourism coming our way," he said. "Tourism was already booming here on the West Coast – it's the big game in town at the moment - so this is going to put pressure on West Coast tourism but we can cope, there's no doubt about that. It's amazing what it's doing for our economy here."
Kokshoorn advised people planning to visit the area to book accommodation in advance as there was the risk they wouldn't be able to secure a bed otherwise. Greymouth i-SITE general manager Gina Ashworth said it made sense for people who had planned to visit quake-affected areas to go west instead.
Guest Night Records Broken
The latest data shows guest night records are continuing to be broken. National guest nights jumped 6.4 per cent to 2.63 million in September compared with the same month last year, Statistics New Zealand said in mid-November. That's the highest level ever recorded for the month, with records hit for both main islands, domestic and international guest nights and all accommodation types.
More than two-thirds of the rise in the latest figures was due to foreign visitors. The country's accommodation sector is buoyant, helped by record levels of tourism and migration. The government is encouraging investment into new hotels through its "project palace" initiative which helps identify opportunities for investors, amid concerns about a looming shortage of beds during peak periods.
John Key told an industry conference that his staff are finding it "incredibly difficult" to find a hotel room in Auckland when they accompany him for work and New Zealand risks running out of accommodation space in summer if it isn't careful.
About 23 per cent of New Zealand's international visitors typically arrive during the three months of spring according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. That compares with about 35 per cent in the peak summer season.
International guest nights rose 12 per cent to 997,000 in September, while domestic guest nights advanced 3 per cent to 1.64 million. Guest nights spent in the North Island increased 6.6 per cent to 1.64 million as South Island guest nights advanced 6 per cent to 990,000.
All 12 regional areas experienced a lift in guest nights, led by Hawke's Bay/Gisborne, where guest nights increased 19 per cent to 86,000. Auckland remained the most popular region with 575,000 guest nights in the month, followed by Otago with 402,000.
All four accommodation types had more guest nights in the month compared with the year earlier, with holiday park nights up 11 per cent, motels ahead 7.9 per cent, hotels up 4.4 per cent, and backpacker nights up 3.9 per cent.
Drop Cover Hold - Advice for Travellers
You may wish to use this advice from www.getthru.govt.nz/disasters/earthquake for the travellers and visitors you come into contact with. They may of course be unfamiliar with what to do during an earthquake. On this website, you can also find information about what to do before, during and after an earthquake.
- If you are inside a building, move no more than a few steps, drop, cover and hold. Stay indoors till the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. In most buildings in New Zealand you are safer if you stay where you are until the shaking stops.
- If you are in an elevator, drop, cover and hold. When the shaking stops, try and get out at the nearest floor if you can safely do so.
- If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, move no more than a few steps away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and power lines, then Drop, Cover and Hold.
- If you are at the beach or near the coast, drop, cover and hold then move to higher ground immediately in case a tsunami follows the quake.
- If you are driving, pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Once the shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged.
- If you are in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for falling debris or landslides.
Tools for Business: Online News Sites
It's timely to review which websites to watch for breaking news that affects tourism business in New Zealand:
- http://www.stuff.co.nz/ - Breaking news and headlines for New Zealand.
- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ - Latest news, analysis and opinion.
- http://www.tourismnewzealand.com/ - Government website for Tourist operators with news, events and reports.
- https://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/felt - GeoNet - the official source of geological hazard information for New Zealand.
- http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/ - Information on how to get ready for earthquakes and latest news on earthquake recovery.
- http://www.getthru.govt.nz/disasters/earthquake/ - Drop Cover Hold advice.
- https://twitter.com/hashtag/EQNZ - Best hashtag to follow for instant reports.
Natural Disaster - Are You Covered?
Given the recent damaging events around the Kaikoura area and further afield, New Zealand Tourism Guide wants to remind you that it's a good time to review your business insurance. The last thing any business needs is to be left out of pocket should a natural disaster strike or an individual event occur.
Damages to buildings, contents, vehicles and other parts of a business could be disastrous.
If you feel that it's a good time to review what your insurance, what it covers and the cost, then we recommend you contact specialist IC Frith Account Executive Monique Bond for an obligation free assessment.
About IC Frith
IC Frith is part of the Steadfast Group - the largest insurance broker network in Australia and New Zealand, comprised of over 300 brokerages spread across more than 700 offices. This scale gives Steadfast flexibility and influence when negotiating with major insurers meaning excellent access to multiple insurance companies, a broad range of products, competitive pricing and valuable advice.
About Monique
Monique (BCom, BSc, LLB, ANZIIF Snr Assoc, ACIS) has a wealth of insurance experience and being based in Christchurch, she knows a thing or two about how to deal with insurance companies and how to get her clients the outcome they deserve should a disaster strike.
If you want to ensure you have the best person on your team and someone who has your back should you have an unfortunate event happen, then email Monique now with a few details about your business.
Top Tourism Site of the Month
This month's Top Tourism Site Award goes to South Pacific Motorcycle Tours.
South Pacific Motorcycle Tours offer independent and guided motorcycle tours in New Zealand. Their website is simply fantastic incorporating a vast array of features, but most importantly, it's bang up to date (e.g. breaking news on the home page), it is most definitely user-friendly, easy to use and navigate. Some of the features to note include:
- Quality photographs featuring the target market (real people) enjoying motorcycle tours with 'New Zealand' written all over them (use of landscapes, frond-fringed roads, etc.)
- Easy to use quote/ booking form in prominent position on the home page
- Easy to understand quick-click buttons on the top tool bar including: email us, call us, see reviews and social media
- Twitter feeds and Facebook pages – also kept bang up to date
- Live chat
- Video promotion
- Endorsements and reviews
- Featured product / special offer
Congratulations South Pacific Motorcycle Tours, a very worthy winner this month.
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: Ground Floor, 518 Colombo Street, Christchurch