The island country long loved by adventure seekers and nature lovers is starting to stir and it has MICE high on its agenda. By Mimi Hudoyo
New Zealand has received a heftier tourism budget of NZ$158 million (US$133.9 million) for the next four years, following the government’s decision last year to focus on courting high value visitors, including business event delegates. Of this sum, NZ$34 million will go towards promoting and supporting international business events in the destination, with particular emphasis on attracting shows and delegates from the US, Asia and Australia.
The fund will also be used to promote existing and upcoming convention centres across New Zealand.
According to the country’s new Tourism 2025 framework, a private sector initiative led by Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (TIA), more convention centres will be developed in Auckland, Queenstown, Wellington and Christchurch.
The focus of Tourism 2025 is on achieving greater value rather than visitor numbers, pointed out TIA chairman Grant Lilly.
“We will grow volume, but we will grow value even faster,” said Lilly, adding that business events not only generate greater tourism spend but also take place during low and shoulder seasons.
Money will also be allotted to a new global marketing campaign which will, among other activities, see more manpower being placed in key international markets to build relationships with important business event decision-makers.
Kevin Bowler, Tourism New Zealand’s chief executive, said: “Earlier we had two dedicated people (to look after the market), now we have 13 working in New Zealand and markets such as Australia, the US and China.”
In China, Tourism New Zealand has a team to develop both conference and incentive markets. Tourism New Zealand’s general manager Asia, David Craig, expects investments in the Chinese conference market to bear fruit once the new convention centres in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington are open for business come 2017 and 2018.
Tourism New Zealand’s courtship of South-east Asian markets is led by a business events manager based in Singapore. While the tourism bureau pursues the incentive market in Malaysia, Thailand and India, its attention in Singapore is on the convention and conference segment.
Mischa Mannix-Opie, the bureau’s regional manager for South and South-east Asia, said: “We are building relationships with key corporate travel agencies, event management companies and PCOs (in Singapore) to educate them on how New Zealand can deliver great business events. We will then work closely with these partners to assist them in pitching New Zealand as their next conference or incentive destination.
“We also aim to undertake advertising to the corporate travel trade and direct to corporate companies, and are already working directly with some companies to showcase what New Zealand has to offer.”
Unlike most of its competitor destinations, New Zealand does not offer a subvention programme. Instead, it relies on its brand, 100% Beyond Convention, and value proposition.
Mannix-Opie explained: “For example, for Auckland, we emphasise how easy it is to get from the hotel to the venue and from the venue to the coast for outdoor experiences. Beyond the conference rooms there are a lot to offer nearby, which means more time is spent on activities and not on the road.”
She added that incentive groups heading out from Auckland to Rotorua, for example, can enjoy a wide variety of activities and attractions such as Waitomo Cave and the Hobbiton Movie Set. More ideas can be found on www.businessevents.newzealand.com.
Destination Rotorua Marketing spokesperson, Jenha White, said the destination has done well in tourism and many local operators are keen to cater to corporate groups by incorporating a teambuilding element to their product or by offering theme event options.
Rotorua’s Agrodome, which has for over 40 years attracted visitors to its popular Farm Show, a performance that introduces the audience to sheep breeds, shearing demonstrations and sheep auction, and is loved for its other activities such as NZ Farm Experience and Dog Trials, has expanded its reach to corporate groups.
The sprawling farmland offers a variety of event venues, from The Dome, where the Farm Show is hosted, to the rustic Hutchings Barn to The Shearing Shed for smaller groups. It also conducts teambuilding challenges and provides entertainment options, catering and theming services.
Event planners who pick the Agrodome can have their delegates “herded” from buses into The Dome by excited huntaway dogs for a fast-paced pre-dinner show, or choose an intimate dinner at The Shearing Museum with a short version of the Farm Show as entertainment.
At Te Puia, New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, just five minutes from central Rotorua, corporate groups can learn about the Maori culture and native flora and fauna, enjoy Maori cuisine and explore a natural geothermal valley.
A complete Ra¯ukura package is available for groups that desire an in-depth cultural encounter. It includes a personalised guided tour, nature walk, cooking in a geothermal spring, traditional Maori lunch, cultural performances and other activities.
For some of New Zealand’s tourism players, Asia is a market of interest.
Last March Te Puia hosted a gala dinner for a 350-pax TPC China incentive group. The programme included a traditional welcome ceremony and cultural performances with guest participation.
Te Puia general manager – sales and marketing, Kiri Atkinson-Crean, told TTGmice that Asia is an important market for the attraction, and two sales directors are hired to manage the region, with one taking charge of Japan and South Korea, and the other for the rest of Asia.
Atkinson-Crean said: “We reach out to the region by working with a couple of inbound operators. We had a group of 300 people from Malaysia last year, and a couple of bookings for later this year from South-east Asia.”
The Hermitage Hotel at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, which is popular among leisure travellers from Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China, has started seeing corporate business from Asia.
The hotel’s sales & marketing manager, Megan Calder, said: “We recently had a 100-pax conference group from Singapore, which combined meeting, star-gazing and other activities.”
Recent improvements in air access from Asia have been a boon for New Zealand’s tourism sellers.
Last January, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand agreed to form an alliance that will enable the Singapore flag carrier to debut services to New Zealand, and Air New Zealand to reopen the Auckland-Singapore route.
Christopher Luxon, CEO of Air New Zealand, said: “The alliance will boost capacity between the two countries by up to 30 per cent. We are currently waiting for approval from the New Zealand government and are looking at starting operations in December.”
Malaysia Airlines is another carrier that plays a role in boosting air access from Asia, Mannix-Opie pointed out. In end-March, the carrier changed its seasonal service out of Kuala Lumpur to a daily flight.
Qantas, too, is facilitating greater travel to New Zealand through its one-stop flights out of Asia. It runs daily flights from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore to Australia, and also four weekly flights from Jakarta and Manila to Australia. In these markets, Qantas offers one-stop flights through three Australian gateways – Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – to four cities in New Zealand, namely Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington.
Stephen Thompson, executive manager international sales, told TTGmice in an interview: “With year-round daily connections to New Zealand and an ongoing close relationship with Tourism New Zealand, Qantas is always proud to promote New Zealand as a destination from Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.”
As part of its sustained efforts to promote New Zealand as a destination, Qantas offers regular support to the travel trade in the promotion of FIT and group travel, and hosts media familiarisation trips.
Movie magic
The film industry has contributed more than NZ$3 billion (US$2.6 billion) each year to New Zealand’s economy over the last two years, according to Statistics New Zealand’s 2012/2013 Screen Industry Survey. The tourism sector is benefiting from this silver screen boom, as New Zealand’s famous ‘filmscapes’ of Middle-earth, the fictional universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, have played a key role in luring travellers to its shores.
Tourism New Zealand’s chief executive, Kevin Bowler, said the October-December 2013 International Visitor Survey found that 14 per cent of holiday arrivals were drawn to New Zealand by The Hobbit trilogy.
The same survey also found that 13 per cent of international visitors between January and September 2013 had a Hobbit experience, such as a visit to film sites or the Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata.
Illustrating the surge in interest from movie fans, Bowler said: “A decade ago in 2004, following the release of the final film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, that figure was only six per cent. We have seen record numbers visiting Matamata and Hobbiton this past summer (2013), (with) tours for around 40 tourists (being run) every 10 minutes.”
Hobbiton Movie Set Tours owner/director Russell Alexander said visitors to the site of The Shire – home of the hobbits in both trilogies – had increased from 130,000 in the period of June 2012-2013 to 230,000 in the period of March 2013-2014.
The growing interest is a result of tourism stakeholders’ creative efforts in leveraging the popular movies to promote New Zealand.
Offering examples, Air New Zealand’s CEO Christopher Luxon said the airline dished out a hobbit-themed onboard safety video, An Unexpected Briefing, which attracted more than 10 million views on Youtube and 1.4 million views on Youku in China while Tourism New Zealand came up with the 100% Middle Earth, 100% New Zealand promotional campaign last year.
As the movies were filmed in various destinations across New Zealand, such as Matamata, Wellington, Okahune and Sutherland Falls (Fiordland National Park), tourism specialists have been able to package and sell an array of fun itineraries for both leisure tourists and corporate groups.
Alexander revealed that interest from incentive groups has been strong. “We get many incentive groups and theme events (with) 350 to 500 people here (at the Hobbiton Movie Set),” he said.
Besides being a tourist attraction, the Hobbiton Movie Set is equipped for corporate gatherings.
Green Dragon Inn, where hobbits gathered for drinks and merry-making in the films, has been replicated at the attraction and serves lunch during operating hours. Once the movie set is closed to the public, Green Dragon Inn is available for private hire and can host sit-down dinners for 80 pax or up to 150 for standing receptions.
The Party Marque, where Bilbo Baggins hosted his ‘eleventy-first’ birthday party in the first instalment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, can seat up to 220 guests.
Another venue option is The Shires Rest Café & Function Centre, which offers two meeting rooms for 60 and 100 people each, or up to 160 pax when combined.
When TTGmice visited Hobbiton Movie Set in May, a new venue for 300 pax was being built towards a June opening.
Wellington Rover Tours, the first company to create The Lord of the Rings movie set tour in 2002, has also seen greater interest from incentive clients. Managing director Scott Courtney said incentive groups typically desire tailor-made programmes that combine visits to film sites with film studios, or with other Wellington tour products.
For corporate event planners who desire a programme that goes beyond visiting film sites and studios, Weta Workshop in Wellington makes an attractive option. The company is best known for its design and effects work on films including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, King Kong, Avatar, Elysium and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Weta Workshop general manager, David Wilks, told TTGmice: “We opened up part of the studio to visitors. Workshop technicians who have worked on different films guide groups (maximum 20 people per group) on a 45-minute tour and tell stories on how props are made, how the design process works, etc.
“We also tailor tours for conference and incentive groups. We can offer behind-the-scenes sculpture-making demonstrations and have designers talk about their work, or other activities that interest groups.”
For larger corporate groups of 150 or more, Weta Workshop can work with The Roxy Cinema and Coco at The Roxy restaurant, located a mere two-minute drive away, for off-site functions and catering. – Mimi Hudoyo
Ideas
Half-day Maori culture tour in Auckland
After your morning meetings in Auckland city centre and lunch at your hotel, drive west-ward through Titirangi, which means ‘fringe of heaven’ in Maori language. Titirangi has many lovely cafes and bakeries, making it a popular rest-and-relax destination for locals over the weekends.
From Titirangi, journey on to Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, a beautiful native rainforest that has been made famous by many movies. A brief stop at the Arataki Visitor Centre will provide more information on this natural attraction as well as track maps. Splendid views of the Manukau Harbour and part of the Waitakere Ranges can also be enjoyed from the Arataki Visitor Centre.
Spend the next 45 minutes to explore the Kitekite track, which takes visitors to waterfalls, streams, pools and beautiful native bush.
Next, explore another natural wonder of Auckland – the rugged west coast beaches where the Tasman Sea’s mighty surf crashes onto vast black-sand beaches. Several beaches are available here – Piha, Bethells, Muriwai, Whatipu and Karekare – and each draws its own following of fans. Piha beach, for instance, is popular with experienced surfers and people looking to have a leisurely picnic and stroll.
There will be enough time to take in the majestic scenery and to learn about the indigenous flora and fauna that inhabit this area. Many native plants are used extensively by the Maori community for medicinal purposes and guides will be on hand to point out those that are most useful.
Itinerary provided by TIME Unlimited Tours.
Visit www.newzealandtours.travel for more information.
Need to know
After-dark adventures
Rotorua Canopy Tours, which specialises in zipline tours of New Zealand’s native forest canopy, has launched an activity that takes place at dusk and runs through the night.
Creatures of the Night invites travellers to see and hear forest inhabitants that appear at night, such as the Weta group of insect species, Morepork native owls, glow worms and native bats.
The new after-dark tour is conducted on a platform that rises 22m above the forest floor, placing participants high up in the night sky, just under a blanket of stars. The experience is heightened by a flight down the 220m zipline in the dark.
Creatures of the Night is good for a group of up to eight people. Each group is accompanied by two professional guides.
Contact hello@canopytours.co.nz for more information.
More sea access to Hauraki islands now
From this month Explore Group will provide daily departures from Auckland’s harbour to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf on its new Discovery 5 powercat boat.
The new service will transport travellers to the islands of Rangitoto, Motutapu and Wiheke, and offers options for day return trips and longer stays.
Pub crawls with a twist
The Big Foody Food Tour, which specialises in showcasing New Zealand through activities that tantalises participants’ taste-buds, has introduced Big Beer Tour. The 2.5-hour walking tour highlights some of Auckland City’s historical pubs by combining craft beer tasting, a visit to a local brewery and a peek into the history of the city. Visit www.thebigfoody.com for other tour ideas.
Roll in the mud
Hells Gate Geothermal Park and Mud Spa, Rotorua is offering a new Mud Pit interactive teambuilding activity that promises to test the strength, agility and wit of participants.
Teams can engage in a mud tug-of-war competition or deal with Hells Gate’s silky fine geothermal mud, which is a lot like quicksand, during a mud volleyball game.
After all the action, participants can unwind with a relaxing soak in the attraction’s sulphur mineral pools before digging into a hearty meal.
For greater indulgence, planners can set aside time for participants to enjoy a soothing massage or mud therapy.
The programme is available for pre-booked groups of six to 60.
Visit www.hellsgate.co.nz for more information.
Cruise down Lake Rotoiti
A growing demand for tailor-made experiences for corporate groups has prompted Pure Cruise to debut flexible package options with the company’s 53-foot luxury yacht Tiua.
Catering for intimate groups of four to 30 guests, Pure Cruise’s private corporate yachting option offers a unique environment for meetings and celebratory functions on board the yacht, while sailing down Lake Rotoiti, in Rotorua. A soak at the secluded Manupirua Thermal Hot Springs can be included in the package. The private lake-edge geothermal pools are accessible only by boat.
The cruise can be paired with a meeting in Rotorua city, as a dawn-breaking breakfast cruise or a relaxing evening cruise with cocktail or full dinner.
Visit www.purecruise.co.nz for details.
