Queenstown visitor numbers up

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Queenstown - Otago - South Island - New Zealand 003 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/quelquesnotes/3902502583/) by Julien (Quelques-notes.com) (http://www.flickr.com/people/quelquesnotes/), on Flickr

January 2012 visitor numbers released by Statistics New Zealand yesterday (12 March) show Queenstown performed well for a third consecutive month with guest nights up 7.2 percent compared to January 2011. This is against a national average decrease of 4.2 percent. Double digit growth in domestic visitors to Queenstown continued with the Commercial Accommodation Monitor showing an increase of 29 percent compared to January 2011. This follows on from 25.3 percent and 36.6 percent rises in domestic guest nights in November and December 2011 respectively. Destination Queenstown CEO Tony Everitt said it was great to see more Kiwis enjoying summer holidays close to home.

“People have been coming from all over New Zealand to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine with their loved ones and friends. We have also seen a significant increase of Wellingtonians this summer thanks to Jetstar’s new Wellington-Queenstown direct jet service which started just before Christmas.” Mr Everitt said Chinese New Year also contributed to the increase in guest nights in January. “The surge in Asian visitors we saw over Chinese New Year almost offset the falls from our traditional markets like the UK and Europe which are still experiencing challenging economic conditions. It was great to see our local businesses embrace Chinese New Year and look for opportunities to attract Asian visitors and make them feel welcome.”

However Mr Everitt noted that the change in the timing of Chinese New Year, which was in February last year, would impact on the Commercial Accommodation Monitor figures for February 2012. Queenstown’s NZ Hotel Council Chairperson Penny Clark said the wall to wall sunshine had been a great drawcard for visitors over the summer holiday break. “Many people were here on planned holidays but we also picked up short lead bookings with people from around the country escaping the unsettled weather and gravitating toward the sunshine. January was supported by some strong Conference and Incentive business around town as well.”

Lake Wanaka records NZ’s highest visitor number increase

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Lake Wanaka - South Island, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27921159@N05/5074265390/) by action adventure videos (http://www.flickr.com/people/27921159@N05/), on Flickr

Once again, Lake Wanaka has seen significant increase in its monthly visitor numbers with the South Island resort town recording the highest increase in visitor number in January out of any destination in New Zealand. Lake Wanaka recorded an extra 23,000 guests nights, an increase of 23% against a national trend of a 4% decrease. Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager, James Helmore attributed the increase to a number of factors, including stunning weather, increased marketing activity and events. “The Lake Wanaka region has certainly enjoyed the best summer weather in the country which has resulted in a marked increase in domestic visitors enjoying the traditional Kiwi holiday in the unspoiled and relaxed surroundings of Lake Wanaka,” he said. “Lake Wanaka Tourism was also part of the South Island Road Trips campaign in conjunction with Tourism New Zealand, Destination Queenstown, Tourism Dunedin and Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism.

This targeted the Australian market and if you look at our web site stats as an indicator, interest from the Australian and New Zealand markets, and indeed all of the top 10 countries all show a marked increase over the last four months. Events also have a positive impact on our visitor numbers. The Challenge Wanaka Triathlon Festival took place in January delivering over 20,000 bed nights to the accommodation sector. Leigh Stock, general manager of Edgewater, said, “A combination of great weather, Challenge Wanaka and a visiting Super 15 team assisted us to achieve a January occupancy level not seen since 2007, which in a year of difficult trading conditions is extremely pleasing.” Lake Wanaka i-SITE has also reported more Wanaka activities being booked compared to the same time last year.

For further information, visit www.lakewanaka.com.

The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest Winter Festival

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Queenstown Winter Festival Market day (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayeletbeads/3703281714/) by AyeletBeads (http://www.flickr.com/people/ayeletbeads/), on Flickr

Helping to spread Queenstown’s winter messages while joining the local community for the party that kicks off winter in the resort, Auckland Airport has signed up as the Community Partner to the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival 2012. As a minority shareholder in the Queenstown Airport Corporation, Auckland Airport wants to play its part in the local community and has much to offer in terms of marketing and promotion resources. Auckland Airport’s general manager corporate affairs, Charles Spillane, says the festival is a useful marketing tool for promoting Queenstown as a winter holiday destination in long haul markets.

“It’s a wonderful, fun event that is great for anyone that loves a real winter and there’s lots of ways we can help. We can promote the festival and Queenstown to Aucklanders and international visitors at our airports and on our billboards, spread the word throughout New Zealand and off-shore markets through our trade and marketing partners including airlines and connections we work with across the world. “We’re very keen to be useful and we’re also keen to get to Queenstown and join in the fun.”

Festival Director Simon Green welcomes the airport in a new sponsorship category. “For us the establishment of a community sponsorship allows us to acknowledge the spirit behind the partnership offered by Auckland Airport. This relationship has been squarely focused on helping us deliver the festival events such as the Family Fun Day and Mardi Gras that are really core to our community and as such, are very precious. It’s difficult to secure purely commercial sponsorships for these events, but they are integral to the community nature of festival. “We are delighted to welcome Auckland Airport to this role and sincerely thank them for their commitment on two levels - to help deliver our events and also to help us promote the festival in Auckland and around the world. We look forward to an ongoing partnership that delivers value and understanding to all parties,” he says.

This festival sponsorship is just one of a number of Queenstown Lakes District community activities that Auckland Airport has supported over the last year, including the Festival of Colour and the Winter Games. “We are looking forward to getting to know people around the town and working together to further raise Queenstown’s profile as an internationally renowned tourism destination that is attractive year round for visitors from New Zealand, Australia and around the globe,” says Mr Spillane.

Domestic business travel surges in 2011

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_IGP8463 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zkarj/5192972711/) by zkarj (http://www.flickr.com/people/zkarj/), on Flickr

There was a big jump in domestic travel last year, with an 11.3 per cent increase in overnight trips by local tourists. According to latest tourism survey run by the Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand travellers made 17.7 million overnight trips last year, an 11.3 per cent increase from 15.9 million in 2010. One of the largest increases was in the number of business trips, up 31 per cent to 14.1 million. Simon Wallace of the Tourism Industry Association NZ said the increase in the figures could probably be attributed to a number of events. "The rugby world cup would have obviously had an effect on New Zealand travellers."

"In terms of the rise in business travellers, the Christchurch earthquake and Rena wreckage probably stimulated business travel, especially in terms of construction personnel." The number of travellers taking day trips was up 14.7 per cent from 28.2 million in 2010 to 32.4 million in 2011. Wallace believed the large increase showed New Zealander's were simply spending less on travel during the recession. "It is consistent with the fact that a lot more people are staying with family and friends, choosing not to spend money on accommodation" added Wallace.

The survey also showed a significant increase in the amount travellers spent on transport which totalled $3.4 billion in 2011, up 16.9 per cent from $2.9 billion. The next biggest increase in expenditure for travellers was food and beverages, increasing by 12.9 per cent from $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion. Wallace said the spending increases in the respective categories showed the importance of tourism for other industries. "Whilst the feed-back from our own operators about 2011 indicate it to have been a very mixed year in the domestic market, these figures show the flow on effects from tourism for other industries."

Auckland Leaps 21% In Domestic Overnight Trips

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22 MAY 11 18°C WAIHEKE ISLAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5822960523/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr


Kiwis visited Auckland in droves in 2011 with the city enjoying a 21 per cent increase in annual overnight trips – almost double the national increase of 11.3 per cent. According to the latest results from the Domestic Tourism Survey, Auckland secured over 2 million overnight trips in 2011 – an increase of more than 350,000 trips compared to 2010. New Zealand’s largest city saw holiday trips increase 27 per cent on last year and business trips jump 29 per cent. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (ATEED) Manager Tourism Jason Hill says this surge in visitation highlights the importance of domestic tourism.

“Domestic travel underpins the New Zealand tourism industry and to see healthy growth in the sector is great, especially during this tough economic climate,” says Mr Hill. “Rugby World Cup was an obvious driver for domestic visitation last year, but it’s heartening to see business travel also making such an impact,” he adds. The increase in domestic tourism aligns with ATEED’s new ten year Auckland Visitor Plan, which aims to significantly grow domestic tourism receipts over the next decade. Tourism is big business in Auckland, generating in excess of $3 billion of GDP per annum and supporting more than 50,000 full time jobs.

World’s travel media to descend on Southern Lakes

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Lake Tekapo, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikek33/348318862/) by mikexking33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mikek33/), on Flickr

The eyes of the world’s travel media will be on the Southern Lakes in May, when around 30 international journalists fly into Queenstown for TRENZ, the tourism industry’s annual showcase event. “They will be joined by about 30 domestic media to report on TRENZ (7-10 May), an event that brings together several hundred of the country’s top tourism operators with 300 international Buyers looking to purchase New Zealand tourism products to sell to international consumers,” explains Ann-Marie Johnson, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Communications Manager. “Media attending this year’s TRENZ work for news outlets and publications that are very influential in terms of promoting travel experiences and destinations to international consumers and the travel trade, such as Lonely Planet, Japan’s Globe Trotter Guide, China’s official news agency Xinhua, and UK luxury travel magazine TTG Luxury.”

Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Brand and International PR Catherine Bates says the team at Tourism New Zealand works hard, together with Air New Zealand and Qantas, to ensure a good international spread of media is present at TRENZ and that there is plenty of tourism news for them to cover. “This year we have representatives from all of our priority markets - Australia, China, the UK, Germany and the US. “TRENZ provides a fantastic opportunity for us to get international media down to the Southern Lakes region to experience New Zealand first hand and talk with the people who are at the heart of the industry. “As a result, we know that when media go home again, they will be well placed to sell the unique story of New Zealand to their readers.”

Southern Lakes Chairman Jeff Staniland says the region is gearing up for another great TRENZ with the significant opportunities hosting an event such as this brings. “We are particularly delighted to be welcoming a number of the world’s leading travel media along with a large number of domestic media. With representatives from Thailand, China, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Canada and USA, this allows us to showcase the Southern Lakes' spectacular landscapes, varied activities and award-winning food and wine to the world. “Together with our world-class tourism operators we will be working hard to ensure they get the most out of their stay in this memorable part of the world."

Lake Wanaka voted world's best new adventure hub

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Skiing-wanaka-new-zealand-treble-Cone-Off-Piste (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48618244@N02/5325574984/) by Lake Wanaka (http://www.flickr.com/people/48618244@N02/), on Flickr

Lake Wanaka in New Zealand’s South Island has been voted the world’s Best New Adventure Hub in leading US magazine, Outside’s 2012 Travel Awards. Outside is a highly influential magazine with a circulation of over 678,000 reaching throughout the United States and around the world. James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism, said this kind of editorial exposure was invaluable to the resort town’s international profile. “Securing this accolade is a massive boost for Lake Wanaka’s profile in America,” he said. “Outside magazine is pretty much the bible for active outdoors travellers from North America and is hugely influential. The awards are billed as a definitive round up of the best new adventures which is not just a collection of unforgettable trips but also a road map to life-changing experiences. Lake Wanaka certainly delivers that with its spectacular scenery and freedom to enjoy the best the lakes, mountains, rivers and trails have to offer.”

Lake Wanaka, on the edge of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area, has fast become one of New Zealand’s leading outdoor destinations with hundreds of tracks and trails for running and mountain biking. It is also the training venue of choice for some of the world’s leading elite triathletes with its high altitude centre at Snow Farm, open water swimming in the crystal clear lake and uncrowded roads. Home to New Zealand’s largest triathlon festival, Challenge Wanaka, plus the iconic Hawea Epic mountain bike race it attracts thousands of athletes every year looking to train and compete in spectacular surroundings. Lake Wanaka is also home to part of the 3,000km-long Te Araroa Walkway which features in Outside Magazine’s Hall of Fame. Running the length of New Zealand, Te Araroa (‘long walkway’ in Maori) goes along three of Wanaka’s most scenic tracks from Lake Hawea, along the Clutha River track and around the western edge of Lake Wanaka before heading into the surrounding mountains.

For further information, please visit www.lakewanaka.co.nz

Cruise passenger numbers to rise in 2013

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IMGP6157 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/smithal/396221762/) by Alastair Smith (http://www.flickr.com/people/smithal/), on Flickr

Cruise ship passenger numbers in New Zealand are expected to soar more than 20 per cent next year despite the negative publicity following the deadly capsizing of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy in January. Adam Armstrong, commercial manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises in Australia and New Zealand, said demand had dropped for cruises following the disaster, particularly in Europe, although he did not think there would be a lasting impact on business long-term. There had not been a huge impact in Australia and New Zealand, he said. "Australians and Kiwis seem to have been able to process it as a one-off, probably human error, incident."

He said all cruise lines were reviewing processes and procedures following the Costa Concordia disaster, in which 32 people were killed or are presumed dead. "We're looking across the board at things that we possibly could be doing better from a safety and procedures perspective," he said. "In this instance it appears to have been a human error ... so we're just going through and checking we have procedures and a culture in place that would prevent that from happening on one of our ships." Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris said the cruise industry was the fastest growing part of the tourism sector.

Harris had visited 11 cruise lines as part of a roadshow and an exhibition in Miami "and everyone confirmed that New Zealand certainly was on the cruise map in terms of what we offer here". Royal Caribbean's business in New Zealand is growing quickly, with about 55,000 guests forecast for next season, compared to about 30,000 this year. The company will have five ships across two brands sailing here next summer, including the 122,000 tonne Celebrity Solstice, which will make three turnarounds in Auckland.

A cruise ship turnaround - during which passengers disembark and embark - can be worth US$1-2 million ($1.2-2.4 million) to a local economy, depending on the size of the ship, through re-stocking, hotels and tours, Armstrong said. The company sourced a large portion of its passengers from overseas, predominantly the US, Canada and Britain but also from Germany, South Africa, Singapore and the Middle East. Armstrong said cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean had modernised the industry through building bigger and more innovative ships, with features including rock climbing, ice skating, surfing simulators and large theatres.

The building of a new cruise terminal in Auckland has been part of a debate about the city's waterfront with $21 million provided in the council's draft long-term plan to 2022, for which submissions closed on Friday. Royal Caribbean's Adam Armstrong said the minimum the company needed was a box. "It needs to be under cover. We need to get people off quickly, get their luggage and there needs to be enough space for coaches [and] taxis to come in [and] get them out and then we'll need enough space to get lorries in to load food and supplies for the next cruise and then to check in the next group of passengers," he said.

"We don't need a fancy building costing hundreds of millions of dollars, we just need a box." Auckland had one terminal but would need a minimum of two, Armstrong said. " If it's congested then we have moveable assets so we will take the ships to where we can turn them around," he said. "And that's becoming an issue in Sydney, where there's one terminal that's incredibly congested. "Best case scenario is we fix Auckland now before it becomes an issue." Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris said the industry needed a second cruise ship terminal to cater for growth in the sector.

" The original terminal at Princes Wharf was built when we had ships of 670 passengers. We've now got ships of over 3000 passengers and we're just really struggling to keep this growth story going with a very inadequate facility at Princes Wharf," Harris said. "We're just looking for a simple structure ... the proposed structure at Shed 10 will be adequate for the cruise ship industry and we appreciate it will be multi-functional use for the city." Auckland was a major beneficiary from the sector with half the gross domestic contribution.

"If we can't cater for growth and we can't handle the ships it seems illogical not to actual create the infrastructure and the facility to do so," Harris said.
Council controlled organisation Waterfront Auckland said the $21 million in the draft long-term plan was for an upgrade of the Shed 10 building on Queens Wharf so that it could function as a cruise passenger facility and an events space. The building would cater for cruise ships about 75 days a year.

SKI - New Zealand

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Peppers Gets A Star Makeover In Queenstown

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QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946705878/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Peppers Beacon Queenstown has unveiled a $1million makeover to boast the newest rooms in Queenstown just in time for a bumper ski season. So named for its proximity to the beacon guiding boats safely across Lake Wakatipu, Peppers Beacon is now leading the way in luxury apartment style accommodation in New Zealand’s premier leisure destination. All 84 apartments have received a complete makeover to offer luxury style and comfort complemented by uninterrupted views of The Remarkables mountain range and Lake Wakatipu. A breakfast room has also been added to cater for early morning ski enthusiasts, tour groups and conferences; and a newly refreshed reception area creates a welcoming first impression.

Queenstown has fast become a mecca for film makers and Peppers has often been a ‘beacon’ for celebrity star power having hosted the likes of Wolverine star Hugh Jackman, supermodel Jodie Kidd and New Zealand acting royalty, ‘Once Were Warriors’ star, Temuera Morrison. Exemplary service and the comfort and convenience of the self-contained apartment facilities have always been part of the attraction to Peppers Beacon Queenstown and with the additional upgrades the property has been lifted to another level worthy of its VIP clientele and valued Peppers guests.

To celebrate the new look, Peppers Beacon Queenstown is offering a special ‘Stay 4 Pay 3’ package for $259 per night in a Garden Suite (valid for sale and travel from 1/4/12 to 24/6/12) - the perfect opportunity to live like the stars for a week and hit the slopes! All the special Peppers’ touches such as freshly baked bread in your room daily to satisfy hungry skiers after a day on the slopes; and, a Kids’ Pack to entertain the kids is also included.

For bookings and enquiries visit www.peppers.co.nz/beacon or phone 03 441 0890.

New fishing tour experience in Marlborough, New Zealand

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Ngakuta Bay, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44744727@N07/5519372745/) by twozero3 (http://www.flickr.com/people/44744727@N07/), on Flickr

Trout fishing in the Marlborough region rates as some of the world's best, and now visitors and local New Zealanders can discover some of the region's best secret spots with a personalised guide, thanks to the newly opened Maraqeta Fishing Tours. Experienced fisherman, Roger Brott, and his wife Angela, have launched their dream business, catering for all levels of fishing fans, from first timers and families right through to experienced fishermen and fisherwomen. What makes Maraqeta different is the flexibility of the tours, which mean every tour is personally moulded to suit the clients needs, and the access arrangements the hosts of the newly opened Maraqeta Lodge in Blenheim have negotiated, allowing them to access fishing spots not easily accessible to the general public.

Fishing tours are available for guests and non-guests of the lodge and each experience is unique. Guiding is tailored to the degree of ruggedness or luxury clients are seeking and the hosts have found that most people are looking for a mixture 'in touch with nature' feeling offered by the great wide open, serenely beautiful New Zealand river landscapes and luxurious creature comforts a private lodge can provide. "Most of the groups we have taken up into the high country love a bit of rugged hut living for a night or two," says Angela, "But they are pretty keen for their creature comforts, a hot shower and a home cooked meal back at the lodge by day three!"

The lodge opened this January and offers fishing tours and/or accommodation all year round, including half day starter packages. For more information please visit www.maraqetalodge.co.nz

In New Zealand, one of the most beautiful places in the world
Fjordlands National Park, South Island
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Says Patricia Schultz: “Think fjords, and one usually thinks Norway, or even Chile. But visit Milford Sound—one of the 15 fjords that make up New Zealand’s largest national park—and you’ll see why Rudyard Kipling claimed it as the Eighth Wonder of the World." Both North and South Islands stood in for Middle Earth during the filming of Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring series. Watch the movie and you'll find an impressive array of landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to vast marshes. The South Island is the less inhabited of the country’s two islands, meaning lots more open areas of astonishing beauty to yourself.

* * *

The others in ranking by Forbes:
The Lau Archipelago (Fiji); Petra (Jordan); Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Midway Islands; Okavango Delta (Botswana); Bordeaux (France); Mount Everest (Nepal); Fire Island (New York, US); Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia (Chile); Tuscany (Italy); Plain of Temples, Bagan (Myanmar)

Hotels.com, TOP 10 of "more aquatic" hotels of the worldHilton Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand
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The Hilton from the front (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blantyre/3760166647/) di blantyre2009 (http://www.flickr.com/people/blantyre/), su Flickr

By staying in this magnificent four star hotel in central Auckland, you might think of being on a cruise in the middle of the ocean. The Hilton Auckland is designed to look just a cruise ship and is completely surrounded by the waters of Waitemata Harbour. Sitting down at the pier to a hundred meters from the coast you have the feeling of being truly in the middle of the Hauraki Gulf, but without the inconvenience of seasickness! The rooms simulate modern cabins of ships, with curved walls and large French windows. True pride of the hotel is the pool, unique, with unique panoramic window overlooking the harbor.

Other hotel in top 10 by Hotels.com
Maldives Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort - Dubai, Atlantis The Palm - Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel - South Africa, The Palace of the Lost City - Thailand, Banyan Tree Phuket - French Polynesia, Le Méridien Bora Bora - Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort - Mexico, Grand Bay Hotel Isla Navidad - Bahamas, Atlantis Royal Towers

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10796601

^^ wasn't this originally proposed as a gondola, it's a great idea and would be a fantastic boost to tourism. Hopefully the greens don't stick their oar in.

I'm a huge geek for transportation stuff, but if there's one thing I hate, it's monorails. I think they're tacky and cheesy.

I'm a huge geek for transportation stuff, but if there's one thing I hate, it's monorails. I think they're tacky and cheesy.

Speaking of monorails, Sydney is dismantling its one.

Thank God. $4.50 from Pyrmont to Haymarket my ass!

Auckland continues to lead New Zealand’s guest nights

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26 FEB 12 22°C DEVONPORT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6859151170/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland continues to lead the way in visitation with regional guest nights for the month of February up 4.6 per cent on last year, according to the latest results from Statistics New Zealand. New Zealand’s largest city enjoyed the greatest monthly increase in guest night numbers for any region during a period when the country’s total guest night numbers dipped two per cent. Auckland’s domestic guest nights increased by 31,000 or 11 per cent, surpassing all other regions in the country.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (ATEED) Manager Tourism Jason Hill says it is positive to see the consistent trend of increased guest nights. “We are operating in a challenging economic climate so it is heartening to see positive growth in visitation, particularly from the domestic market,” says Mr Hill. Tourism is big business in Auckland, generating in excess of $3 billion of GDP per annum and supporting more than 50,000 full time jobs.

Hobbit 'bigger than cup' for tourism

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034455725/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The big-screen exploits of Bilbo Baggins and a gang of dwarves are an "extraordinary opportunity" for tourism and will draw more people to New Zealand than the Rugby World Cup ever could, says the architect of the 100 per cent Pure campaign. George Hickton said the The Hobbit films would generate more money and overseas interest than the All Blacks' win, and urged New Zealand businesses to do everything - including getting staff to "put on hairy feet" - to attract tourists. He said The Hobbit's effect would be even bigger than The Lord of the Rings films. "One of the things we have to do is get to understand the psyche of people who want to come and see it," he told a meeting of tourism figures in Hamilton yesterday. "This is bigger than last time. You need to be actively aware of what it looks like, what the story is. "You need to talk about Hobbits, put on hairy feet. Do whatever you can to make sure that when people come to this place that you absolutely embrace it, that you 'get it'. "Frodo Baggins is going to be more important to tourism than Daniel Carter kicking off in the Rugby World Cup." Mr Hickton said Waikato businesses were the luckiest in the country with Sir Peter Jackson's Hobbiton film set "just down the road". The set of The Shire, which features 44 "Hobbit holes", was first built on Russell Alexander's farm near Matamata for the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1999.

Initially it was to be bulldozed but Mr Alexander turned the set into a tourism venture, Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours. When filming began on the prequels to the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again, last year, the set was rebuilt using permanent materials and will remain as a tourism drawcard. Mr Hickton said films sparked an emotive response in people, giving them an ongoing relationship with a country, and formed part of the decision-making process to travel there. Statistics showed 80 per cent of Britons who planned a holiday here did so after seeing the film locations on the big screen. Wellington's Weta Cave, a mini-museum joined on to Weta Workshop - the special effects artists behind Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, as well as the biggest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar - attracted 100,000 visitors, 70 per cent of them international, each year. Hobbiton itself, the idyllic home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, was the "premier" location of all the Middle Earth destinations in New Zealand, and attracted 266,000 people in the past 12 months, a 60 per cent increase because of renewed interest ahead of The Hobbit.

CINEMA TAKINGS

Avatar - $2.7 billion
Titanic - $1.8 billion
Harry Potter - $1.3 billion
Transformers - $1.1 billion
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - $1.1 billion
(Avatar and Return of the King were made in New Zealand.)
Figures in US dollars.

Hobbiton marketing hopes

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888432994/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Tourism New Zealand is in talks with studio giant Warner Bros to let Waikato tourism operators use the soon-to-be released Hobbit films as part of their marketing campaigns. The news comes as George Hickton, the tourism whiz who created the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, calls for the Waikato to make the most of Matamata being home to Hobbiton, where the two films were shot. "Tourism New Zealand is speaking to Warner Bros and it is hoped to have a series of questions and answers about what can be used officially (in marketing) to give to tourism operators," Mr Hickton told the Hamilton and Waikato Tourism Conference held yesterday at Wintec. A spokeswoman for Tourism New Zealand said the "ongoing" talks with Warner Bros were prompted by the recent legal stoush in Britain between the studio and a pub that named itself The Hobbit 20 years ago. "Obviously Warner Bros have some very strict guidelines and restrictions on what the operators can and can't do. "We are seeking to have those guidelines clarified so we can share them with everyone concerned." People could not, for instance, use the word "hobbit" in their marketing. "But operators could, for example, use the cast and crew and say `So-and-so stayed here or dined here', things like that.

"Our objective is to make it possible for people to leverage as much as possible as they can from The Hobbit, where appropriate, and to ensure they are not going to land themselves in hot water." The guidelines would be published "as soon as possible", she said. Mr Hickton said it was impossible to underestimate the potential the impending release of the Hobbit films would have on the local tourism industry. "What you are talking about is one of the most expensive films of all time, based on the most well-read book after the Bible, and it was filmed just down the road," he said. "This is bigger than the Rugby World Cup, it's flow-on effects will be felt year after year after year. "Frodo Baggins walking out of Bag End will do more for New Zealand and its economy than Dan Carter did when he kicked that first ball of the World Cup." Located on a private farm on Buckland Rd, Matamata, Hobbiton is the permanent film set built by Sir Peter Jackson's Miramar studios.

Abel Tasman Nominated in World Travel Awards

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ABEL TASMAN (http://www.flickr.com/photos/straybusnz/6187405247/) by straybusnz (http://www.flickr.com/people/straybusnz/), on Flickr

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Totaranui Bay (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabaziou/4139096109/) by Florent Abaziou (http://www.flickr.com/people/fabaziou/), on Flickr


Known as “the Oscars of the travel industry” the World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry. Votes are cast by 217,000 travel professionals including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe. Members of the public are also invited to vote at www.worldtravelawards.com/vote . The Abel Tasman National Park competes for the title of Leading Beach Destination in Australasia against such coastal icons as the Far North’s Ninety Mile Beach, Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and Bondi Beach in Sydney. If selected as the winner, the Abel Tasman will then compete for the title of Leading Beach Destination in the World, at the Grand Final in New Delhi in December 2012.

Nelson Tasman Tourism International Marketing Manager Loren Heaphy says “It’s a great privilege for the park to be nominated for a World Travel Award and I strongly encourage everyone to log in and vote" "We are fortunate to have such a beautiful natural paradise in our backyard and it is fantastic to see it being recognised on a global stage. The work that the Department of Conservation, local tourism operators and the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust all do to maintain the pristine environment of the park while also welcoming a quarter of a million visitors a year is to be applauded and this is a credit to their work”. The Abel Tasman National Park is no stranger to awards, having been voted the Number One Destination in New Zealand in the AA 101 ‘Must Do’s’ for Kiwis. Images of its golden beaches are used internationally to promote New Zealand, and it is widely recognised as one of the key reasons international tourists visit the Nelson Tasman region.

Other New Zealand tourism businesses and destinations feature in the World Travel Awards including: Air New Zealand for Leading Australasian Airline; Wellington International Airport for Leading Australasian Airport, and Tourism New Zealand for Leading Tourist Board. Tourism New Zealand picked up the award for Australasia's Leading Tourist Board in 2011 and is hoping for a repeat performance again this year. A full list of nominations is available on the website at www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees

Hawke's Bay visitor numbers positive for February

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Statistics New Zealand has released their latest Commercial Accommodation Monitor (CAM) report, which revealed a return to positive growth for visitor nights. Hawke’s Bay guest nights for February 2012 were up 2% compared to the same period in February 2011. This equates to 2 158 more visitor nights in the region in February. Domestic visitor nights in Hawke’s Bay were up 11.6% (+8000 visitor nights) whilst International visitor nights were down 14.9% (-5767 nights). Hawke’s Bay Hotels had the largest increase (up 33.2% or 5010 guest nights) followed closely by Motels (up 2.1% or 1098 guest nights). Annie Dundas, General Manager of Hawke’s Bay Tourism said she was pleased to see positive news for February visitor nights, particularly the strong domestic visitor numbers. “February is a big month for Hawke’s Bay with two of our three major events on during this time so we would expect to see a good result however the bad weather is still having an impact on weather dependent sectors such a holiday parks which is not great news for those operators”. Nationally figures show 67 000 fewer guest nights or a 2% decline in guest nights in commercial accommodation in February. Hotels showed the largest decrease (down -7.9%) followed closely by Backpacker accommodation (down -3.5%) and motels (down -0.1%). Hawke’s Bay Tourism is continuing its online, print and search engine advertising to encourage travel in the off seasons.

Karikari Peninsula: Shoreline luxuryLuxury presides at Northland's Carrington Resort

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Set above the white sands of the Karikari Peninsula, Carrington Resort is a luxury championship golf course and hotel nestled on a 3000-acre Northland estate. Its beauty lies in its seclusion. On our honeymoon in the height of summer, we drive the four-and-a-half-hours north from Auckland.

At reception we are greeted with a smile: would we like a royal tour of the facilities and accommodation?
We are guided to our colonial-style accommodation. Despite having been built in 1998, it is a resplendent reminder of New Zealand at the turn of the 1900s. On the wooden veranda we can sip a sauvignon in the shade, perched above the greenery of the golf course and the gum trees. Our lodge room is just as splendid in its interior. Spacious, it has a super king bed and an elegant rimu wooden archway leading into the kitchenette and ensuite.

We follow the concierge through the library and past the billiards room to the clubhouse, which boasts sweeping views of the sea and wetlands and a telescope for night-time star gazing. We're asked if we would we like to experience any of the resort's activities during our stay. On offer are things as diverse as petanque, trying out our skills on an Olympic-standard skeet shooting range and playing a round on the Matt Dye golf course, which spans rolling hills and water holes. While we are assured that the 18-hole championship golf course is designed for every skill level, we opt for something more suited to the heat of the day. Golf carting through the vineyards is more our style. The cart lurches from side to side over gravel as it transports us up to Karikari Estate Winery - New Zealand's northern-most vineyard.

Canoeing in the local lakes is our next adventure. Native birds fossick through the reeds of the 900 acres of restored wetlands, which attract oyster catchers, pukeko, white-faced herons, black swans, kingfishers and a variety of ducks and terns. We skip the gym, but as the sun subsides I convince my husband to practise our game on the championship tennis courts. The court's surface allows for extra bounce but I'm still not certain we would qualify for Wimbledon. Perhaps it's the sea breeze blowing like a gale whenever we hit the ball. Perhaps we are just hungry. Match point: dinner time.

The resort's Carrington Restaurant boasts magnificent service in an intimate dining area. Candles illuminate the white-robed tables. We are recommended Karikari Estate Winery's own vintage, the full-bodied pinotage - or its award-winning viognier chardonnay. The duck is succulent, and nearly overshadows the panoramic views of wetland and gum tree-lined seascape.
Before hitting the hay we reflect on our day in the crystal blue waters of the resort's pool and hot spa. Open for guests until 10pm, the pools provide the perfect place to unwind. The idyllic infinity pool directs the eye to the stretch of sand and sea nearby, where you might spy dolphins, orcas and pilot whales - sometimes within reach of kayakers and swimmers.

Ski fields confident plenty of snow on way

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Ski fields around the country are confident plenty of snow is on its way, despite a largely settled Autumn so far. Work on South Island slopes, including Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt has been non-stop over the summer months as they add new runs and carry out maintenance. And while it's too early to predict when the snow will arrive on the Southern Alps and in what quantities, the ski fields' owners are hoping it comes sooner rather than later. Last year, the snow was late in coming, and in an industry entirely dependent on the weather, it can spell bad news economically. Craig Douglas, sales and marketing manager for NZ Ski Ltd, which runs Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski fields, said the warm Easter has no bearing on what winter will bring.

But he said the settled summer, especially down in Central Otago, has meant they've been working flat out to get the ski fields in prime order. "The guys been working hard all summer, and are now ready to get into winter mode," Mr Douglas said. "All we need now is some snow, and the earlier the better." Mt Hutt and Coronet Peak are both expected to start their seasons on June 9, while The Remarkables is set to open a week later on June 16. While the season starts early in June, the social calendar in the southern ski capital of Queenstown kicks off at the end of June with the town's Winter Festival. From then on, the adventure centre hosts a stream of events, including the Park Ice Invitation where a makeshift slope and jump is erected downtown and up-and-coming freestylers compete for cash.

"It's a fun place to be at this time of year," Mr Douglas said. "It's a bit early to look at any (weather) patterns at this stage, but the season in Central Otago seems to be running as we would expect. Autumn has been, if anything, a bit early and is hopefully a sign of lowering temperatures going into winter. Let's hope so." Similarly, Cardrona sales and marketing manager Nadia Ellis said it was too early to predict what the weather had in store for this season. But she said Cardrona was feeling positive about the season and bookings from Australia were already looking good. The Cardrona ski field was due to open on June 22, Ms Ellis said. "We typically get an early snow fall at the beginning of May, first week in May, we get a little snow fall and then typically that will melt and then we won't start getting solid snow falls until June."

But while it was too early to guess how winter would compare with summer, Ms Ellis said the mountains near the Southern Lakes did not need too much snow to get started. "Because they're really, really smooth, we don't need a whole heap of snow on the ground to get operational ... we can open on 30 to 40cm." Over at Treble Cone ski field, organisers were hopeful the weather this winter would be ideal for a booming season. "It's going to be reasonably cool, and we're going to see reasonably dry snow conditions ... for a lot of the season or certainly the early part of the season," Treble Cone spokesman Nigel Kerr said. Treble Cone opens on June 28 and the season runs until September 30. The weather over summer had been generally settled and sunny in the area, he said, but that was relatively unconnected to the winter ahead.

What would make a difference was the La Nina weather pattern, Mr Kerr said. "La Nina cycle for the most of it, so that sees more southerlies, more dusting of dry, low temperature cold snow, so that's what we've got to look forward to." A large dumping of Autumn snow and regular March and April morning frosts have set up a promising picture for the upcoming winter skiing season at Mt Ruapehu. Callum Learmonth, a program manager at Ruapehu said the Turoa ski field was expected to open on the 16th of June and Whakapapa on the 23rd. The manager of the Mt Ruapehu Summer Program said March and April had seen the best weather all year. He had no concerns about the possible effects of the recent bout of fine weather on the skiing season.

"We've had snow on the mountain at least five times this summer and in March there was snow below 1600 metres. We had to close the road for summer access," he added. "It's also been cold in the mornings and cool in the evenings, which is good." Mr Learmonth said the quality of the snow last year had been excellent and they were hoping for an even bigger season this year. "Our season pass sales are up on last year." He added that snow makers were in place to contend with unpredictable weather conditions. "We have comprehensive snow making machines which can make a large amount of snow in five days." The summer season finishes on Sunday 29 April.

Passenger flights between China, NZ to triple

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Air New Zealand ZK-OKD (http://www.flickr.com/photos/richsnyder/5177326343/) by Rich Snyder--Jetarazzi Photography (http://www.flickr.com/people/richsnyder/), on Flickr

The number of passenger flights between China and New Zealand could triple under a new agreement that would open up a new Christchurch route. A total of 42 return flights a week, split evenly between airlines from each country, can now be operated between the two nations. The agreement comes after China Southern recently started daily flights between Auckland and Guangzhou, which pushed the previous quota of weekly flights to its limit.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee said today the agreement was a positive step for the New Zealand tourism industry. The move, which would allow China Southern to schedule flights to Christchurch, follows a visit from China's fourth-ranked leader, Jia Qinglin. The new air services arrangements also allows more stopovers en route, liberalised tariffs regulations, and greater co-operation between civil aviation authorities in both countries.

Travel editors hail two NZ luxury hotels
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QUEENSTOWN 24 JUN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5938497567/) di Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), su Flickr

Two top South Island accommodation providers are looking forward to big spin-offs after appearing on a international list of the world's best new hotels.

Hilton Queenstown and Nelson's Bishop's Suites feature in the Conde Nast Traveler's "Hot List" of the world's best new hotels, chosen by the magazine's editors.

Conde Nast Traveler called the Hilton "Asian-inspired serenity with Maori touches". "The lakefront Hilton is the jewel - near yet wonderfully far from the tourist magnet that is Queenstown," it says. "While the Hilton may be light on ultra-luxe touches, its lure is magnetic, thanks to such tranquil comforts as the high-ceilinged 82-foot [23m] indoor pool with access (via circular staircase) to a 10-room spa."

Hilton Queenstown general manager Marlene Poynder said Conde Nast Traveler was probably the most read publication globally "from a travel sense" and within the tourism industry. The recognition would throw a spotlight on Queenstown as well as the hotel. "Our global PR agency in New York has already picked up on it. So we know that the news will travel fast. When people are thinking of travelling to this part of the world, they might put Queenstown on their list now ...particularly in the younger affluent demographic," Ms Poynder said.

Conde Nast Traveler said the Bishop's Suites - luxury stand-alone apartments attached to an 87-year-old Nelson homestead - had a "wedding album perfect" look. "This gracious, secluded home feels like a country retreat, and being greeted like long-lost friends is just the beginning," it says. "Mary and Peter Dallison may be new to luxury hosting, but what's here is on a par with the best high-end lodges in New Zealand."

Mr Dallison said the accolade was amazing, and would help to put Nelson on the map as a luxury destination. "It just doesn't get any better."

HOT SPOTS

HILTON QUEENSTOWN (http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/ZQNHQHI-Hilton-Queenstown-hotel-/index.do): $345 a night in deluxe lake view room in low season; $245 a night for guest room in the low season; only Queenstown hotel directly on the shores of Lake Wakatipu; stone fireplaces feature in all rooms.

BISHOP'S SUITES NELSON (http://bishopssuites.co.nz/): $1500 (sleeping two people) to $2850 (sleeping four people) plus tax, including meals; luxury apartments added to Bishopdale Estate homestead, on an 8ha estate; open fireplace, air conditioning, flat-screen TV in all suites.

Mayor supports Auckland luxury tourism strategy for China

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Kauri Cliffs Lodge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23172952@N04/3238215621/) by RalphJB (http://www.flickr.com/people/23172952@N04/), on Flickr

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and Auckland Airport have agreed on a new and very focused strategy for growing the important China visitor market. The strategy is based around targeting high yielding business and first class passengers and selling premium experiences and accommodation on arrival in Auckland. Auckland Mayor Len Brown has announced a new marketing partnership between ATEED and Auckland Airport in Guangzhou as part of the Mayor’s trade mission to five Chinese cities. The partnership sees ATEED and Auckland Airport combine to establish a $200,000 luxury marketing fund for growing the Chinese visitor market. "This mayoral trade mission is focused on business outcomes and the new initiative will generate high yielding Chinese visitors who will not only stay longer and do more, but will influence their peers to come as well,” says Mayor Len Brown.

The Mayor is also attending an exclusive event in Shanghai today hosted by ATEED, Auckland Airport, Air New Zealand and SkyCity for 60 multi-millionaire business people from the exclusive Shanghai Travellers Club. ATEED Manager Tourism Jason Hill says Auckland is investing strongly in attracting more high yielding Chinese visitors to Auckland. “It is vital we work as an industry to maximise the potential of this fast growing visitor market. This China delegation and luxury marketing fund will bode well for raising awareness of Auckland’s premium tourism offering and mix of sophisticated urban and natural experiences,” says Mr Hill. Auckland’s China trade mission coincides with an announcement this week by the Ministry of Transport of a new air services arrangement with China that triples the amount of passenger flights that may be operated between the two countries.

“This is great news and means that initiatives such as this marketing fund have more room to grow – now it is up to the industry to take advantage of the opportunity,” says Mr Hill. Auckland Airport CEO Simon Moutter adds that this initiative is part of Auckland Airport’s programme to develop premium travel markets. “We are absolutely committed to capturing the lucrative Chinese travel market. It is important we jointly, as an industry, grab the opportunity to develop New Zealand as a premium brand to that market. The rapidly growing number of affluent Chinese tourists represents a massive economic opportunity for Auckland. They are now spending on average $300 per night, more than European, North American and other Asian tourists. Chinese holiday stay in New Zealand has now grown to an average of 6.1 nights per visitor. We expect this to grow as the Chinese become more confident travellers,” says Mr Moutter.

“Global tourism trends now indicate there are an increasing number of travellers from both traditional and emerging markets, who are high net-worth, have high-spending patterns and are prepared to pay premium prices for a high quality, unique tourism experience or product. This fits perfectly with Auckland's quality tourism proposition.” “Our new partnership announced today with ATEED will focus on working together to increase the value of tourism from this key market. It’s a very competitive market globally, and Auckland and New Zealand has to put its best foot forward in order to get its share of the action,” adds Mr Moutter. The New Zealand Government also has its eye on China – Immigration New Zealand has made major improvements to immigration processes, Tourism New Zealand has increased its marketing efforts in China, and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise has launched a major China strategy to support the free trade agreement.

China is one of Auckland’s key visitor markets, with 134,444 visitors to December 2011. It is Auckland’s fastest growing market, with visitor numbers up 19 per cent on the previous year.

Hilton Queenstown named one of world’s hottest new hotels

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QUEENSTOWN 24 JUN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5945392370/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Hilton Queenstown has been named one of the hottest new hotels in the world by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2012 Hot List. The luxury travel publication’s annual Hot List is widely regarded as the ultimate insider’s guide to the world’s best new hotels, spas and restaurants. The Conde Nast Traveler Hot List issue, describes Hilton Queenstown as “the jewel” of the new Kawarau Village complex which opened in June 2011. One of the Conde Nast editors visited the opulent 178-room Hilton Queenstown incognito, staying in one of the beautifully appointed Relaxation Rooms which feature hot tubs on private lakefront decks. The review highlighted some of the exceptional facilities at the hotel, including the stunning eforea: spa at Hilton and the tranquil 25m indoor lap pool. It also mentioned the influence of local culture in the design of the beautifully constructed hotel, referring to the pieces of New Zealand art on display.

The range of dining options available in Kawarau Village were mentioned as favourable factors; from Stacks Pub and family-friendly fare at Me & Mee Noodle Bar, to high-end cuisine at waterfront restaurant Wakatipu Grill. General manager Hilton Queenstown, Marlene Poynder, said “We are honored to be named on the Conde Nast Traveler 2012 Hot List. Hilton Queenstown combines an incredible location, exceptional style and the iconic Queenstown destination with our warm and friendly Hilton hospitality to set the standard for hotels in New Zealand.” The stunning Queenstown hotel is positioned directly on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and delivers glorious views of the lake and surrounding mountains, including the landmark Remarkables Mountain Range. For more information about the Conde Nast Traveler Hot List, and to read their review of Hilton Queenstown, visit: www.cntraveler.com.

Carnival celebrates bumper cruise season for New Zealand

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0051 Sun Princess - Auckland NZ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/edschonsett/2333448868/) by edschonsett (http://www.flickr.com/people/edschonsett/), on Flickr

The last ship to visit New Zealand this season for Carnival Australia – the biggest cruise liner company in Australasia – will be docked at Auckland’s Princes Wharf on Sunday. Sea Princess will be the last of almost 400 Carnival ship visits to 12 New Zealand ports this season – more than double the number of visits than the previous season for the company and almost five times more than three years ago. The season for Carnival brought more than 115,000 passengers to New Zealand from October to April and contributed an estimated $200 million to our country’s tourism economy. Each ship visit has generated an estimated $150,000 spend on local New Zealand products, including 30 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables, 600kg flour, local dairy, meat and seafood. Passengers have enjoyed on average 600 bottles of wine daily, including New Zealand favourites such as Cloudy Bay, Matua Valley, The Sisters and Mount Riley. Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia which represents P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, Princess Cruises, and P&O Cruises World Cruising in New Zealand, said our country was in the midst of a cruising “boom”.

“New Zealand and Australia are the fastest growing and most exciting cruise markets in the world,” said Ms Sherry. “New Zealand is not only an extremely attractive destination for our international cruise passengers, particularly those from the Northern Hemisphere, but more Kiwis than ever before are discovering cruise holidays. “The Pacific Islands are proving a very popular playground, and being able to explore several different island countries and have your food, accommodation and entertainment included is obviously an appealing option” Ms Sherry said the continued growth of cruise ship visits to New Zealand and of cruising in general in this country provided many opportunities. “As well as the obvious economic benefits from things such as port fees and providoring, tourism operators and local businesses have seen a constant stream of ships over the summer months and I am delighted they took full advantage of this captive audience and showed our passengers what their local areas are all about.”

Highlights of the 2011/12 cruise season for Carnival and New Zealand included:

Northland

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Twenty Carnival ship visits brought more than 35,000 passengers to the Bay of Islands.

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Paihia ran a successful Ambassador Programme with the support of local businesses, greeting passengers and providing them with local information.

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The vibrancy of the town centre was enhanced during ship visits with markets and street entertainment.

Bay of Plenty

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The Port of Tauranga received 50 Carnival ship visits this season, equating to more than 93,000 passengers and an increase of 61 per cent on last season.

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There was strong local support for ship visits, with families watching the ships sail out of port, crowds at the port gates trying to get up close and locals chatting to passengers.

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Tourism Bay of Plenty had up to 18 staff working at the port on ship visit days.

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Local retailers supported ship visits by offering specials and the ability for passengers to pay in foreign currencies.

Hawke’s Bay

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More than 40 Carnival ships visited Napier this season (80,000+ passengers).

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Hawke’s Bay demonstrated some fantastic local engagement activities for ship departures, with a special art deco farewell put on for each one that included vintage cars, people dressed up on the port, and a brass band playing live music.

Wellington

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The capital received 54 visits from Carnival ships this season – an increase of 69 per cent from last season.

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More than 95,000 passengers had the opportunity to explore the city and surrounding region, injecting more than $13 million into the city’s economy.

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Across Cook Strait, Picton saw 10 Carnival ship visits this season – up from just one last season.

Southland

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Fifty Carnival ships visited Dunedin, bringing more than 90,000 passengers to the city.

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Fifty-eight more ships than last year took in scenic Fiordland as part of their itineraries.

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Stewart Island’s Oban (pop: 400) received its maiden, and three subsequent, visits.

Christchurch

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Akaroa stepped up as the default port for Lyttleton and received around 50 Carnival ship visits, equating to 90,000+ passengers.

Auckland

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Auckland had 54 visits from Carnival ships for the season, bringing more than 100,000 passengers into the city.

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Research showed an impressive average passenger satisfaction rating for the city of 84.7 per cent.

Looking ahead to next season

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Next year will see another increase in Carnival cruise ship visits to New Zealand, with around 440 visits planned.

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All three Cunard liners will visit New Zealand shores during the 2012/13 season. Flagship liner Queen Mary 2 will complete her first 12-night Royal Circumnavigation of New Zealand in March, calling into the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch (maiden call) and Milford Sound. In February, sister ship Queen Victoria will visit Auckland and the Bay of Islands and the fleet’s youngest liner Queen Elizabeth will visit Auckland, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch.

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The first Spirit class or “fun ship” for Carnival Cruise Lines (Carnival Spirit) sails to New Zealand from its new full-time home of Australia, making more than 20 port calls throughout New Zealand during the season.

Auckland Airport recognised as best in Australia-Pacific

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29 MAY 11 16°C AKL AIRPORT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823202993/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland Airport was named for the fourth year in a row the Best Airport in the Australia / Pacific region at the 2012 World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal EXPO in Vienna overnight, and was also awarded Best Staff Service for the Australia Pacific region. Auckland also came second globally to Vancouver in the Best Airports by "size of Airport", for airports handling 10 to 20 million passengers annually. Simon Moutter, Chief Executive of Auckland Airport said, "Auckland Airport is extremely proud to have been recognised on the global stage in the Skytrax World Airport Awards for the fourth year in a row as the best airport in Australia Pacific.

We are especially pleased to have reclaimed the award for Best Airport Staff Australia/Pacific. “It highlights once again that the focus of everyone across the entire airport on making journeys better continues to benefit the end consumer and help us shine in the eyes of passengers. Making journeys better is the sum of many different parts, from cleaners to Customs, from airlines to Aviation Security, from border agencies to baggage-handlers – everyone plays a part." “Our focus on expanding the quality and range of products and services for consumers across all parts of the airport experience has been very well received by passengers, who appreciate having more choice and options.

We have invested in a number of innovations over recent years that have directly benefited the passenger by streamlining the processing part of the journey, therefore providing more time and choice,” said Mr Moutter, “and that focus will continue.” Edward Plaisted, Chairman of SKYTRAX, said, "We congratulate Auckland on their success at this year's awards. Winning both the Best Airport Australia/Pacific and Best Airport Staff Service in Australia/Pacific is a real statement of quality in terms of both product and service standards. Overall, we have seen an improvement in performance for several major airports in this category and Auckland should be pleased that it is still considered the premier airport in this region."

Incheon International Airport in Seoul scooped the title as the World's Best Airport for 2012, with Asian airports dominating the awards, as six of the top ten positions are awarded to airports across Asia. Auckland Airport’s General Manager Retail & Commercial, Adrian Littlewood, said, “We’re grateful to all the passengers who voted for us, and to the entire Auckland Airport community who work so tirelessly delivering world-class customer service. Friendly kiwi service is one of the things that makes New Zealand such an attractive tourism destination, and it makes a genuine difference in growing New Zealand travel, trade and tourism for the benefit of consumers and the economy.” “We are committed to continuing to build more international connections, develop innovations, find efficiencies and improve the passenger experience wherever we can. There are some challenges ahead, we know that the domestic travel experience at Auckland lags behind the international travel experience – our longer-term plan is to lift the performance there as well. But we’re ready for the challenge.”

Earlier Easter boosts visitor arrivals

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South Island,New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30401479@N08/3089580536/) by saltytheseal (http://www.flickr.com/people/30401479@N08/), on Flickr

Visitors to New Zealand increased 11 percent in March 2012, compared with March 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today. Earlier Easter and Australian school holidays were a key reason for the rise. The increase was also partly a recovery after visitor numbers dropped following the Christchurch earthquake. "Even though Good Friday fell on 6 April this year, more people generally travel in the lead up to holiday periods," Population Statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "Of the 24,400 extra visitors in March 2012, 18,100 more came in the last 10 days of the month." Visitors from China were up 8,700 from March 2011, the second-highest monthly increase ever from that country. There were 8,400 more arrivals from Australia because of the earlier holidays. In the March 2012 year, 2.618 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, up 4 percent from 2011. The largest increases were in visitors from Australia, China, and Malaysia.

The largest decrease was in visitors from Japan. New Zealand residents took 153,000 overseas trips in March 2012, up 7 percent from March 2011. The majority of the increase was in the last five days of the month, in the lead up to the Easter and school holidays. In the March 2012 year, New Zealand residents took 2.127 million overseas trips, up 4 percent from 2011. New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain of 100 migrants in March 2012. This is only the second monthly net gain since the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch. Unadjusted figures showed 600 more arrivals and 400 fewer departures of non-New Zealand citizens in March 2012. In the March 2012 year, there were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,500), India (5,200), and China (5,000). END

Auckland Launches Chinese Destination Website

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08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7107687269/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

ATEED has further cemented its focus on attracting Chinese visitors to Auckland with the recent launch of a dedicated Chinese website. Phase one of the website is now live at aucklandnz.com/cn and features key destination content and images from Auckland’s flagship destination website aucklandnz.com. Enquiries and bookings generated through the website will be handled through ATEED’s i-SITE Visitor Centre by Mandarin speaking reservations staff. Phase two of the website development will include integration of Chinese operator listings and the implementation of social media channels and online activity to stimulate website traffic. ATEED Manager Tourism Jason Hill says Auckland is investing strongly in attracting more Chinese visitors to Auckland. “We are undertaking partnerships with airlines and travel partners and carrying out targeted marketing. It is vital we work as an industry to take advantage of this fast growing visitor market,” says Mr Hill.

“Auckland offers Chinese visitors a premium experience - an ‘Urban Oasis’ where big city sophistication goes hand-in-hand with an outstanding natural playground,” he adds. The launch of the Chinese website comes shortly after a visit to five Chinese cities by Mr Hill and representatives from Auckland Airport, Tourism New Zealand and other key Auckland operators. The group hosted and met with key Chinese officials, tourism agents, wholesalers, airports and airlines. As part of the visit to China ATEED also launched a Chinese version of the invest in Auckland website aimed at people interested in investing in New Zealand’s largest city. The website can be found at investauckland.com. China is one of Auckland’s key visitor markets, with 134,444 visitors to December 2011. It is Auckland’s fastest growing market, with visitor numbers up 19 per cent on the previous year.

Personal videos from people who have recently travelled to NZ ...

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Large increase in visitors to Lake Coleridge

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Lake Coleridge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathan-aotearoa/560081395/) by jonathan.aotearoa (http://www.flickr.com/people/jonathan-aotearoa/), on Flickr

Tourism operators in Lake Coleridge, one of Canterbury’s less well-known tourism destinations, stepped up this summer to cater for hundreds of extra visitors who were sadly not able to visit some of Canterbury’s former tourist highlights. An increase in coach tours was the standout theme of the summer, members of the Lake Coleridge Tourism Group heard at their AGM last week (24 April). The Lake Coleridge basin has been catering for group tours for a long time, but not on the scale seen this summer, says Tourism Group Chairperson Lyn Nell. Over the past six months, the High Country Tour business Lyn runs in conjunction with two other properties saw an influx of groups looking for new places to visit in Canterbury. “We’ve been operating 20 years and it would have been one of our busiest. Other operators in the area have had similar experiences,” she says. Alex Bruce from Travlon Coachlines based in Lincoln says other tour operators like them are taking advantage of the area’s spectacular scenery.

“It’s only one hour from Christchurch and there’s enough established tourism businesses that haven’t been affected by the earthquakes,” he says. Lake Coleridge’s largest tourism business, Terrace Downs Golf Resort, also say they have had a big increase in international tour companies visiting. “The increase in international visitors has been very noticeable this year,” says Terrace Downs General Manager Dilan De Silva. “We’re fortunate we’re in an interesting high country environment that offers a range of recreational opportunities, but it’s still within easy driving distance from Christchurch,” he says. Lyn says that for Cantabrians needing a short break away, the peace and quiet you find in alpine areas is particularly attractive at this time of year. “The summer tourist season is over, the ski season is still a couple of months away and there’s the bonus of lovely autumn colours and bright, crisp days. Now’s a good time if you’re planning a weekend escape - there’s no other city in New Zealand with an alpine playground like this just an hour away.”

More information about activities and accommodation in Lake Coleridge is on www.lakecoleridgenz.info.

Hawkes Bay winery listed among world's best

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Black Barn's "River Room" (http://www.flickr.com/photos/loririelly/450962680/) by lordog (http://www.flickr.com/people/loririelly/), on Flickr

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Black Barn Vineyards (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875494@N04/5505248518/) by : chantal (http://www.flickr.com/people/7875494@N04/), on Flickr

A Hawkes Bay winery has appeared alongside world-renowned vineyards in Burgundy, Tuscany and California in a major travel guide's top 10 list - a win being hailed as a boost for the fast-growing wine tourism market. Black Barn Vineyards, in Havelock North, was picked among the world's greatest vineyard inns and hotels by the long-running and best-selling US travel guide Frommers. The guide - which also features Italy's medieval Castello di Vicarello and the prestigious Chateau Andre Ziltener in Burgundy - pitches Black Barn as "the place to go" with family, another couple or a small group. It lauds the winery's luxury accommodation, its summer amphitheatre, its accessibility to the rest of the region and its Black Barn Bistro, last year named winery restaurant of the year by Cuisine magazine. The winery's cellar door and events manager, Francis De Jager, regards the rating as an important gain for all Kiwi wineries.

"To be on that list is a huge credit for Hawkes Bay and New Zealand - it's just going to help channel more visitors here." Overseas tourists accounted for a third of visitors to the winery, and most sought a "wine experience" rather than a quick tasting. "They're not just coming here to taste wine, they're wanting to do everything," Mr De Jager said. "There's no shortage of luxury destinations to visit in New Zealand or around the world, so to get on a list like this, you're really getting your name out there. "We are not a big operation but we set ourselves a standard, and when we get pats on the back like this, it's fantastic for the motivation." New Zealand Winegrowers global marketing director Chris Yorke agreed the win would help lure more highly sought-after wine tourists.

A recent Tourism NZ study showed tourists visiting New Zealand for its wineries stayed longer and spent more per day.

THE TOP 10

1 Algodon Wine Estates, Mendoza, Argentina.
2 Chateau Andre Ziltener, Burgundy, France.
3 Castello di Vicarello, Tuscany, Italy.
4 The Yeatman Hotel and Wine Spa, Porto, Portugal.
5 Kenwood Inn and Spa, Sonoma County, California.
6 Black Barn Vineyards, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
7 Steenberg Hotel and Winery, Cape Town, South Africa.
8 Youngberg Hill Vineyards and Inn, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
9 Can Bonastre Wine Resort, Spain.
10 The Louise, Barossa Valley, Australia.

NZ wines named among world's most admired

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HAWKE'S BAY 27 NOV 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5242644456/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

New Zealand has claimed seven spots on the list of the top 50 most admired wine brands in the world. Brancott Estate was the highest Kiwi performer coming in at 14 on the list. Oyster Bay, Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria, Babich, Wither Hills, and Nobilo are also listed on Drinks International Top 50 World's Most Admired Wine Brands list. Chilean label Concha y Toro took out poll position, followed Spanish vino from Torres and Italian brand Antinori. New Zealand Winegrowers' spokesman, Chris Yorke said he was delighted with the result. "It reconfirms New Zealand's position as a producer of premium, diverse and sustainable wines." The judging panel was made up of 60 members of the global wine community including Peter McCombie MW, Peter Marks MW, Tuomas Meriluoto MW, Kym Milne MW and Lynne Sherriff MW.

Drinks International 50 Most Admired Wine Brands:

1. Concha y Toro
2. Torres
3. Antinori
4.Penfolds
5. Jacob's Creek
6. Kendall Jackson
7. Michel Chapoutier
8. Guigal
9. Vega Sicilia
10. Chateau Margaux
11. Duboeuf
12. JP Chenet
13. Ridge
14. Brancott Estate
15. Marques de Riscal
16. Chateau Ste Michelle
17. Oyster Bay
18. Cheval Blanc
19. McGuigan
20. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
21. Campo Viejo
22. Cloudy Bay
23. Chateau Lafite
24. Fetzer
25. Marques de Caceres
26. Blue Nun
27. KWV
28. Robert Mondavi
29. Santa Rita
30. Chateau Haut-Brion
31. Villa Maria
32. Barefoot
33. Chateau d'Yquem
34. Faustino
35. Gallo
36. Chateau Le Pin
37. Lindeman's
38. O Fournier
39. Chateau Mouton Rothschild
40. Chateau Petrus
41. Undurruga
42. Woodbridge
43. Paul Jaboulet Aine
44. Babich
45. Dr Loosen
46. Wither Hills
47. Oxford Landing
48. Nobilo
49. Black Tower
50. Yellowtail

Sensational season ahead at Queenstown and Methven ski areas

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DSCN6949 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7903864@N04/3733806682/) by jamiez1980 (http://www.flickr.com/people/7903864@N04/), on Flickr

Snow lovers heading to the slopes in New Zealand’s South Island this winter can enjoy an array of improvements and changes at the Queenstown and Methven ski areas. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown, and Canterbury’s Mt Hutt have been busy over summer to ensure their teams are all set to provide a jam-packed winter full of fun for visitors. The Mt Hutt crew is looking forward to getting loads of families up the mountain as part of the Methven ‘Kids 4 Free’ campaign. They’re delighted to offer a ’10 and under’ ski free deal for youngsters, part of a resort-wide community promotion that will see kids 10 and under stay, eat and ski for free for the entire winter season. Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie said that as colder weather set in, enthusiasm around the deal grew by the day.

“Mt Hutt is really proud to be part of the Methven Kids 4 Free deal and the feedback we’ve had from families, especially those with two or three children, is that it’s re-ignited their passion for a winter ski holiday and means record numbers of families will be able to realise their dream of taking the kids on a skiing holiday. “Mt Hutt really is an all-round adventure playground for kids,” he said. “We’ve got the infamous Dinner With The Stars on Saturday nights, complete with huskies and snow groomer rides, plus we’ve given the kids centre a refresh over the summer.” In another move to improve the ease of the overall experience, the mypass card that was launched in 2010, and removed any need for the paper and wire lift ticket, has reached a new level of use.

Guests can now preload money onto their mypass card, known as mypass money, leave the wallet at home and use it at any of the three NZSki mountains It becomes an on-mountain debit card, used as easily as swiping a credit card at mountain outlets such as cafés, ski schools or the rentals department. Mypass money can also be used at Coronet Peak’s hugely popular Icebar at the top of Greengates. Credit card and EFTPOS facilities have been installed at the Icebar, trialed last year for the first time, so guests can use their preloaded mypass money to pay for drinks and snacks. Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie said the Icebar would be bigger and better than before.

“Last year’s trial showed us just how hugely popular an outdoors bar with amazing views could be,” he said. “It became ‘the’ spot to be on the mountain last year even though we could only take cash, so over summer we installed the equipment to enable electronic transactions to make it easier for guests.” Another trial at Coronet Peak in 2011 has meant the expansion of the kids Funzone in the novice and beginners areas. This year small boxes and features will be available for kids to ‘have a blast’. Work’s also been undertaken at the Race Arena at Coronet Peak’s Rocky Gully so international race teams visiting the resort to train will have access to a full-time Giant Slalom course. Mr McCrostie said mountain visitors would be thrilled to know that all race activity would happen at Rocky Gully, meaning no more race events or training on The Hurdle or Eighth Basin.

Investment in new product continues across the valley at The Remarkables with new snow groomers being added to the fleet. The Remarkables ski area manager Ross Lawrence said the new groomers would suit the terrain at the Remarks especially with new earthworks carried out over summer. “We’ve been working really hard to improve the trail network that we focused on the previous season,” he said. “This year we’ve concentrated on the improving the flow of trails and opening up more terrain for our visitors, which is especially good news for intermediate and beginners.” Guests visiting the Queenstown ski areas will also benefit from further investment in the performance rental range, meaning more guests than ever before will be able to rent ‘top-of-the-line’ ski and boarding gear.

“Last year we tested the popularity of high performance rentals equipment and it was huge,” said Mr Lawrence. “People visiting our ski areas need to know they can get the latest equipment and not have to compromise.” Mt Hutt ski area will also update equipment in their performance ski rentals department. Back in Queenstown, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables have invested in two brand spanking new buses to take ski and boarding buffs up to the mountains, and they’ve introduced a new five and ten trip concession pass so people can buy multiple trips at a discounted rate. Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt ski areas are scheduled to open on June 9 and The Remarkables on June 16, subject to conditions. For more information on each ski area go to www.nzski.com. For more information on the Kids 4 Free campaign, go to www.kids4free.co.nz

Hobbit seen as bigger draw than Lord of Rings

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034448467/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The tourism industry is gathering in Queenstown for its annual sales pitch to buyers from around the world, with high hopes the Hobbit movies will prove an irresistible lure to tourists. Tourism Industry Association acting chief executive Grant Lilly said a survey showed that the summer had exceeded the expectations of about half of operators, with about a quarter saying it had been poor. The Trenz tourism conference is taking place in Queenstown until Thursday and is expected to attract about 1000 delegates, including 308 invited international travel buyers from 32 markets and 280 exhibitors. "I think the industry's come a long way over the last couple of years in getting better prepared to handle visitors from [Asian] markets and we're now seeing good evidence that that's working much better," Lilly said.

Operators that exhibited at last year's event said their attendance secured $164 million of new business during 12 months. Lilly said difficult economic conditions in the European Union were affecting expenditure there and British holidaymakers were facing higher departure taxes. A family of four in Britain would have to pay $736 in taxes just to leave the country and travel to New Zealand. There was evidence that the tax might be counterproductive, he said. "We'll keep trying to highlight that and pressuring it both as an industry and through political channels in order to encourage the UK Government to see it as a negative tax." People around the world understood from the Lord of the Rings movies that New Zealand provided the backdrop to Middle Earth, Lilly said.

"And The Hobbit is just going to rekindle that awareness and probably we think achieve a boost for New Zealand better than Lord of the Rings because it is well understood that the movie is being made down here," he said. "Viewers around the world are going to be looking at that scenery and thinking, 'Well of course that's New Zealand, doesn't it look pretty good'." Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the industry would probably achieve more with the two Hobbit films, which come out in December this year and in 2013, than it did with Lord of the Rings. A survey in 2004 found 6 per cent of visitors cited Lord of the Rings as being one of the main reasons for visiting the country and since that year an average of 47,000 international tourists a year have visited a film location.

"I think The Hobbit as a book, as a brand, is probably better known than Lord of the Rings and so I think we've got a massive opportunity to connect New Zealand as home of Middle Earth with the launch of the films and to elevate our story to a huge international audience," Bowler said. New Zealand had had a challenging year with earthquakes, the impact of a cloud of volcanic ash and a late ski season. "It's not been an easy 12 months but equally I think people are quite resilient and we are starting to now look at some of the new opportunities ahead of us," Bowler said. "What we're signalling to the industry is that while we see the long-term growth from Asia as being very, very important we're not over-reacting to that and moving money out of those traditional markets that are also really important to New Zealand."

The commitment to Asia was about the same in the year ahead but Tourism New Zealand would spend a bit more in Southeast Asia, with an increased focus on Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, he said. "The global epicentre of commerce and growth, and therefore affluence, is remarkably moving away from those traditional markets into Asia, which I think is really exciting given that a lot of these countries are relatively close neighbours to us." Bowler said Trenz was a great opportunity for operators to connect with buyers.

Queenstown voted number one NZ destination in South Pacific

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QUEENSTOWN (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4773077693/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown’s staggering beauty and diverse outdoor adventures have earned international accolades at this year’s Travellers Choice Awards run by the world's biggest travel website. Based on millions of Trip Advisor traveller reviews and opinions, the four-season lake and alpine resort was voted Number One New Zealand destination in the South Pacific. It ranked third among the top 25 destinations in the South Pacific, just behind Sydney and Bora Bora. Destination Queenstown Chairman Mark Quickfall was delighted with the result and said gaining recognition from such an influential travel source was something to be celebrated. “It’s a great acknowledgement that so many travellers from around the world feel that Queenstown is an inspirational destination which offers stunning scenery, easy international flight access, budget to five-star accommodation, world-class activities, and a variety of award-winning food and wine.”

To view the full list of Trip Advisor awards visit http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop-g8.

For more information about Queenstown please visit www.queenstownNZ.co.nz.

New name for KiwiRail’s new North Island service

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Railtracks by surfers beach near Kaikoura New Zealand 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gouldy/2392069503/) by Gouldy99 (http://www.flickr.com/people/gouldy/), on Flickr

KiwiRail’s new North Island train service, which will begin service in the middle of this year, has been given a new name – Northern Explorer. The name was announced this morning at the TRENZ conference, where New Zealand’s key tourism providers meet to showcase their products to international travel and tourism buyers. “The new name signals a fundamentally different train service for the North Island and the transformation of the service into an internationally recognised tourism product,” says KiwiRail’s Scenic Manager Tom Evers-Swindell. “This is a journey through the heart of New Zealand’s scenic North Island and the name Northern Explorer evokes a sense of discovery on a trip with a real New Zealand experience.”

Mr Evers-Swindell says that KiwiRail has and will continue to work with tourism operators to develop tourism packages and help showcase what is great about the North Island – both inside and outside the train. “Feedback that KiwiRail received from Overlander passengers about the service is that while the scenery is beautiful and the staff are fantastic, the carriages are very old and the journey time is too long. The introduction of the Northern Explorer service with its new scenic carriages and shorter journey time will be a big shift in the experience that will be offered to our international and domestic passengers,” Mr Evers-Swindell says. In addition to the new carriages, changes include a new café carriage, an open-air viewing carriage, a multi-lingual commentary system, in-carriage display maps and a new menu, showcasing New Zealand food and wine.

The new train will run three weekly services from Auckland and three weekly services from Wellington, with a lay-over day on Wednesday for vehicle maintenance. In addition to reducing the number of weekly services from 14 to six, a shorter journey time with fewer stops is also being introduced. Intermediate stops will be limited to Hamilton, National Park, Ohakune and Palmerston North. “The new timetable will be operating year-round – 6 days a week every week of the year, making it easier for customers to plan their journeys,” says Mr Evers-Swindell. “The future for long distance passenger train travel in New Zealand is now about creating a world-class travel experience rather than simply getting people from one place to another. We want to make the new Northern Explorer service – and the North Island – a must-do tourism experience for people travelling in and around New Zealand,” Mr Evers-Swindell says.

Indonesian celebrity embarks on New Zealand tour

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Mt Arthur and travelling around with family 229 copy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildernessphotographs/369769136/) by Wildernesscapes Photography (http://www.flickr.com/people/wildernessphotographs/), on Flickr

Farah Quinn, Indonesian celebrity chef and TV personality of significant fame in her home country, touched down in Auckland last week to begin a tour of New Zealand as part of Auckland Airport’s wider campaign to promote our premium tourism destinations internationally. An extensive social media user with more than one million fans on Facebook, and 237,000 on Twitter, Farah is touring Auckland, Waiheke Island, Kauri Cliffs, the Bay of Islands, Matakana and Queenstown, making regular updates and sharing content as she visits iconic locations around New Zealand and promotes them in her home country.

Starring in her own hit TV cooking series, Ala Chef, Farah has embarked on a wide range of activities throughout her career, from creating desserts for the likes of First Lady Bush at G8 Summits, to modelling for FHM – she also takes great pride in being a devoted wife and mother, with her four year old son joining her for the tour. “Farah’s tour of New Zealand is part of Auckland Airport’s on-going work to reinforce the quality of New Zealand tourism locations and develop premium tourism markets,” says Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial for Auckland Airport. “The range of high-quality travel options here is extensive, but compared to Europe and the US they are relatively unknown within Asia."

“We’re aiming to use the strength of her popularity at home, particularly via social media, to get the message that New Zealand is a must-see luxury destination to a tremendously important and rapidly growing market.” This announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Garuda Indonesia at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister John Key and the New Zealand and Indonesian Trade Ministers in Jakarta recently, and reinforces Auckland Airport’s commitment to promoting New Zealand to this emerging premium market. In addition to helping promote New Zealand as a premium tourism destination, Auckland Airport is working with tourism and trade experts from Indonesia to help New Zealand businesses get ready for these visitors at TRENZ in Queenstown this week.

This all links back to the Airport's Ambition 2020 initiative which was announced last week, highlighting China, Indonesia and other ASEAN markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore as vitally important for growing our tourism market. With a population of around 240 million, Indonesia comprises around 45 percent of the ASEAN economy and is quickly transforming into a global economic powerhouse. There are already more than 42 million Facebook users in Indonesia, and by 2015 the number of millionaires is expected to triple according to a Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia (CLSA) wealth report, making the market a significant opportunity for New Zealand by any measure.

New Zealand Lodges Work Together to Offer Unique Experiences

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Huka Lodge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23172952@N04/3974461420/) by RalphJB (http://www.flickr.com/people/23172952@N04/), on Flickr

A collection of New Zealand’s most exclusive luxury lodges is working together to offer guests a unique experience unlike anything anywhere else in the world. Lodges of New Zealand is recognised internationally for its work with only 27 carefully selected members, each of which offers five key distinguishing features to ensure they stand out in the five-star market. Although Lodges of New Zealand membership has grown in recent years, that growth is slow and steady because the criteria for membership is strictly enforced. Lodges of New Zealand chairperson Murray McCaw says other lodges from around the world may have copied the New Zealand concept, but many have adopted a more ‘resort-style’ development lacking the intimacy of New Zealand lodges, or a ‘rustic-style’ lacking the luxury and attention to detail that New Zealand lodges deliver.

He says Lodges of New Zealand lodges represent the very best of the stunning New Zealand landscape, always featuring an outstanding location – whether it is a lakeside, a cliff edge, beside a trout stream, or on a mountain, from rivers to the sea. “They are all five-star quality, but with a highly tailored and personalised attention to detail,” he says. Lodges also belong to world-respected groups such as Small Luxury Hotels, Relais Chateaux, Virtuoso and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. Mr McCaw describes fine dining as another distinguishing feature of the lodges. “Some of New Zealand's finest chefs apply their skills at the lodges, and dining is one of the highlights of a lodge stay whether it is to enjoy the company of other guests over dinner or to sample New Zealand's finest fresh produce and wines,” he says.

He also points out that the hosted experience of a lodge distinguishes the experience from a hotel stay and ensures that every guest feels at home and utterly spoiled at the same time, with a uniquely New Zealand style of hospitality. “And finally let’s not forget the fact that the lodges all offer truly unique experiences,” he says. “They don’t just have stunning locations from a scenic perspective, but they’re also set amid wineries, with golf courses, horses and horse trails around the lodge, trout fishing streams running through the property, on working farms or with fossil cliffs in the immediate area.” Mr McCaw believes that because the lodges are owned and operated by people who share a deep love and knowledge of their surroundings and are passionate about welcoming guests from all around the globe, Lodges of New Zealand offer a guests world-standard luxury with a uniquely New Zealand character.

More About Lodges of New Zealand

Enjoy the absolute best in New Zealand luxury accommodation when you stay with Lodges of New Zealand….

Outstanding Locations

Discover the unique New Zealand tradition of luxury lodges set in outstanding locations, owned and operated by people who share a deep love and knowledge of their surroundings. Lodges of New Zealand is a select group of the finest 5-star and exclusive luxury lodges in New Zealand – fulfilling the promise of our outstanding New Zealand landscape.

Exceptional Hospitality

Step inside any of the Lodges of New Zealand and you will understand why these unique lodges are known for their exceptional hospitality – exceeding the expectations of even the most seasoned traveller. From the warm welcome that awaits you, the impeccable service from thoughtful friendly staff - whether it be directing you to a quiet spot in the garden or introducing you to fellow travellers - or the depth of knowledge of the local area, Lodges of New Zealand offer a standard of service and facilities akin to a boutique luxury hotel. All this is delivered with the hospitable style and atmosphere of an intimate Lodge experience – where each and every guest is made to feel special.

Unique Experiences

Hospitality extends to offering unique experiences, with individual value-added features such as personal guiding, tours of their vineyard or farmland, indulgent spa treatments, helicopter adventures from their grounds and great recreational facilities. The local knowledge of hosts and their staff ensures guests will enjoy the best of the beautiful New Zealand environment.

Cuisine and Fine Wines

Nowhere is exceptional hospitality more evident than with the dining experience of the Lodges. Dinner is a highlight where guests and their hosts can share experiences over superb food and wine, showcasing the finest New Zealand produce from the regions served with the freshest local ingredients and crafted into exquisite dishes to complement fine local wines.

The wind that brings us to Wellington: 8 tips to discover the city
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12th October - sunset over Wellington (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superhoop/2933136505/) di *superhoop* (http://www.flickr.com/people/superhoop/), su Flickr

Surrounded by the hills and by the bays, the capital of New Zealand has many aliases, like as "Wellywood". The name is due for the weight of the cinema, which is present in the city. Wellington is also included, in the ranking of 15 cities with the best quality of life in the world. Is here for you, a small handbook of "Windy Welly".

1. Go into a giant hive
Among the public buildings in the capital of New Zealand, the most emblematic is the house of the Executive. The government consists of a parliamentary monarchy, whose head of state is the British Queen Elizabeth II; while the current Prime Minister is John Key. This building was built in the 70's by the architect Sir Basil Spence. Is popularly called the Beehive for his eccentric way. Nearby is another building of the Parliament of classical structure. There are others famous buildings by neo-Geothic style, in Bowen St., including the Library of Parliament.

2. Watch the All Blacks
On the waterfront of the city, you can look the Westpac Stadium, also known as "The Cake-Tin". It is worth going to see the rugby team that plays at the local level, like the match between Hurricans of Wellington against the Blues of Auckland!

3. Tour of the Cinema
Tourists have discovered that New Zealand is a mecca for film production, since Peter Jackson and his team have won 11 Oscars for "The Lord of the Rings". The hills of Wellington, seem to remember the landscape of Los Angeles. There is also a sign that says "All Blacks" in white, imitating the traditional "Hollywood". There are many companies focused on creating special effects for movies, including Weta Studios: they are found in the Miramar district, and they offer tour of film. There are also a souvenir shops inside. Among the actors and directors who were born or have lived here: Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Anna Paquin (True Blood stars) and Jane Champion (The Piano).

4. Shopping
One of the best streets to do this is to Lambton Quay, where you will find most brands of New Zealand and Australia, and also occasional brands from the U.S. and Europe. On this road (165-177 Lambton Quay) there is the department store Kirkcaldie, which existed since 1863 and is the local version of London's Harrods and Saks of New York. Another fascinating place to shop, is the old Bank Shopping Arcade, a building which hosted in 1901 the Bank of New Zealand, but now has turned into a shopping center.

5. On a tram
Wellington is almost like San Francisco, with the trams running through the hills. One of the most important goes from Lambton Quay to the Botanic Garden. A protected forest of 25 hectares, with flowers and plants of all types, a tree house with several floors, a rose garden, a cafeteria, a museum, a planetarium and an observatory (Carter Observatory). Another place where you can go to get a nice view is Mount Victoria, an extinct volcano of 196 meters, west of the center, on whose slopes there are some of the most luxurious residences in the city.

6. Nightlife
New Zealand is one of those countries where the night begins and ends soon, but Wellington is the exception to the rule. The nightlife is around the pubs of Courtenay Place. Among the recommendations, go drinking and dancing at MishMosh, in Allen Street. A smarter choice for dinner is The Tasting Room (Cambridge Terrace). Another street to eat, drink and listen music is the pedestrianized St. Cuba. You can't go away, without seeing the curious fountain with colored blocks, reminiscent the Lego.

7. Te Papa
Is the national museum of New Zealand. In six storeys, its permanent exhibitions show a historical, cultural and artistic heritage of the country, including the Maori sacred temple. The center has many interactive exhibits and also receives dozens of shows a year. The museum is located on the waterfront of the city. Then the path is to explore the area around the harbor and see the important financial center.

8. Kiwi
A few days in this country, and you understand that when you utter the word "kiwi", you are referring to three things: the name of the New Zealand citizen, fruit, and bird. This animal symbol of the country, is in danger of extinction, and one of the few places to go see it is the Zoo, located four kilometres from the city. Another place, full of local fauna is "Zealand", a nature reserve.

Was that translated from another language? It's terribly written.

Was that translated from another language? It's terribly written.

Yes, sorry. The article was originally in Spanish, but now I tried to improve it :colgate: Is written decently? :)

Auckland bucks national trend with increase in guest nights

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7112072195_e13e64c327_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7112072195/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7112072195/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland has recorded an 8.8 per cent increase in guest nights for the year end March 2012 bucking the national trend of a continual decline in guest nights. According to the latest results from Statistics New Zealand’s commercial accommodation survey, Auckland’s guest nights were up 6.5 per cent for the month of March contributing to the year end increase of 8.8 per cent. International guest nights increased 10.9 per cent to 2.8 million and domestic guest nights grew by 7.2 per cent to 3.5 million. During the same period seven out of 12 of New Zealand’s regions saw a decline in guest nights, and of those that did enjoy growth Auckland’s increase was the largest.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (ATEED) Manager Tourism Jason Hill says it’s great to see Auckland’s sustained visitor growth. “Numbers have been up for 22 out of the last 24 months which is fantastic, and it’s good to see Auckland’s position holding strong especially as we move into the shoulder season,” says Mr Hill. These positive results come on the same day that Auckland won the rights to host next year’s TRENZ event, which is New Zealand’s biggest annual international tourism showcase. Tourism is big business in Auckland, generating in excess of $3 billion of GDP per annum and supporting more than 50,000 full time jobs.

Nominations for the World Travel Adwards 2012
The prestigious awards of travel, from the international level are awarded for each geographic region, in different galas: Middle East (30th April 2012 - Dubai), Caribbean & The Americas (14th September 2012 - Turks and Caicos Islands), Africa & Indian Ocean (26th September 2012 - Kenya), Europe (6th October 2012 - Algarve), Asia & Australasia (18th October 2012 - Singapore). The final evening of the Gala will be held on 12th December 2012 in Delhi. It is with a great pleasure that we announce the nominees of the 19th World Travel Awards, voted by travel agents worldwide. The 2012 World Travel Awards Nominees are:

AUSTRALASIA
Australasia's Leading Airline
Air New Zealand * Air Pacific * Air Tahiti Nui * Aircalin - New Caledonia * Jetstar Airways * Qantas Airways * Virgin Australia

Australasia's Leading Airport
Auckland International Airport * Brisbane Airport * Cairns Airport * Christchurch International Airport * Darwin International Airport * Melbourne Airport * Nadi International Airport, Fiji * Perth International Airport * Sydney Airport * Tahiti Faa'a International Airport * Wellington International Airport

Australasia's Leading Airport Hotel
Airways Hotel Port Moresby * Holiday Inn Auckland Airport * Park Royal Melbourne Airport * Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport Hotel

Australasia's Leading Beach Destination
Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand * Aitutaki, One Foot Island, Cook Islands * Bells Beach, Australia * Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia * Cable Beach, Broome, WA, Australia * Cottesloe Beach, Australia * Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia * Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand * Palm Beach, NSW, Australia * Return to Paradise Beach, Afega, Samoa * Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, QLD, Australia * Wine Glass Bay, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia

Australasia's Leading Boutique Hotel
BLUE Sydney, Sydney * Eichardts Private Hotel, New Zealand * Huka Lodge, New Zealand * Kirketon Hotel Sydney, Australia * Medusa Hotel, Sydney, Australia * Otahuna Lodge, New Zealand * The George Christchurch, New Zealand * The Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart, Australia * The Lyall Hotel & Spa, Melbourne, Australia * The Spire Queenstown, New Zealand

Australasia's Leading Boutique Island Resort
Pacific Resort Aitutaki, Cook Islands * Paradise Bay, Long Island * Qualia Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island * Taveuni Palms, Fiji * Turtle Island, Fiji * Vomo Island Resort, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Boutique Resort
Blanket Bay, New Zealand * Claremont Country Estate & Nature Reserve, New Zealand * Double Island, Queensland, Australia * Pacific Resort Aitutaki, Cook Islands * Taveuni Palms, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Business Car Rental Company
Alamo Car Hire * Avis * Budget * Drive Away Holidays * Europcar * Hertz * National Car Rental

Australasia's Leading Business Hotel
Crowne Plaza Hotel Auckland, New Zealand * Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Australia * Hotel Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa, New Zealand * InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, Australia * InterContinental Wellington, New Zealand * Melbourne Marriott Hotel, Australia * Park Hyatt Sydney, Australia * Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney, Australia * Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Australia * Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay, Australia * The Observatory Hotel, Sydney, Australia * The Westin Melbourne, Australia * The Westin Sydney, Australia

Australasia's Leading Business Travel Agent
ABC Travel * Concierge Business Travel * Corporate Travel Management * FCm Travel Solutions * Phil Hoffmann Travel * Pure Travel * Spencer Travel

Australasia's Leading Car Hire
Alamo Car Hire * Avis * Budget * Europcar * Hertz * Holiday Autos * National Car Rental * Thrifty

Australasia's Leading Casino Resort
Burswood Entertainment Complex, Australia * Jupiter Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, Australia * Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns, Australia * Sky City Auckland, New Zealand * Star City Hotel & Casino Sydney, Australia * Treasury Casino & Hotel, Brisbane, Australia

Australasia's Leading Cruise Line
Celebrity Cruises * Crystal Cruises * Cunard Line * Oceana Cruises * P & O Cruises * Princess Cruises * Regent Seven Seas Cruises * Royal Caribbean International

Australasia's Leading Destination
Auckland, New Zealand * Bora Bora, French Polynesia * Cairns, Australia
Fraser Island * Gold Coast, Australia * Queenstown, New Zealand * Sydney, NSW, Australia * Whitsunday Islands, Australia * Yasawa Islands, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Family Resort
Hayman, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia * InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, Fiji * Paradise Resort Gold Coast, Australia * Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa Gold Coast, Australia * Sonaisali Island Resort, Fiji * The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, French Polynesia * The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Golf Resort
Bonville Golf Resort, Australia * Hyatt Regency Coolum Resort, Australia * InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, Fiji * Joondalup Resort, Australia * Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand * Millbrook, New Zealand * Moorea Golf Resort, Polynésie Française * Quay West Resort Magenta Shores, Australia * Terrace Downs High Country Resort, New Zealand * The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Green Hotel
Allaway Retreat, Australia * Cradle Mountain Lodge, Australia * Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, Australia * InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, French Polynesia * Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Fiji * Kingfisher Bay Resort, Australia * Longitude 131° Ayer's Rock, Australia * Waipoua Lodge, New Zealand

Australasia's Leading Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia * Hyatt Regency Guam, Micronesia * InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, Australia * Intercontinental Perth Burswood, Australia * Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, Australia * Park Hyatt Melbourne, Australia * Royce Hotel, Melbourne, Australia * Sheraton on the Park, Australia * Sky City Grand Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand * Sofitel Melbourne, Australia * Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia * The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne, Australia * The Langham Hotel Auckland, New Zealand * The Observatory Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Australasia's Leading Hotel Brand
Hilton Hotels * InterContinental Hotels & Resorts * Marriott Hotels & Resorts * Outrigger Hotels & Resorts * Radisson Hotels & Resorts * Sheraton Hotels & Resorts * SPM Hotels, Resorts & Spa * Westin Hotels & Resorts

Australasia's Leading Low-Cost Airline
Air Australia * Jetstar Airways * Tiger Airways * Virgin Australia * Webjet

Australasia's Leading Luxury Hotel
Hilton Auckland, New Zealand * InterContinental Sydney, Australia * InterContinental Wellington, New Zealand * Le Meridien Bora Bora, French Polynesia * Park Hyatt Melbourne, Australia * The Observatory Hotel, Sydney

Australasia's Leading Meetings & Conference Centre
Auckland Convention Centre at THE EDGE, New Zealand * Cairns Convention Centre, Australia * InterContinental Sydney, Australia * Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia * Peppers Moonah Links Resort, Australia * Sofitel Melbourne, Australia * Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia * Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, New Zealand * Wellington Convention Centre, New Zealand

Australasia's Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel
Crown Towers, Melbourne, Australia * Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia * InterContinental Wellington, New Zealand * Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, Australia * Sky City Grand Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand * The Langham Hotel Auckland, New Zealand * The Westin Sydney, Australia

Australasia's Leading New Hotel
Hilton Queenstown Hotel, New Zealand * Hilton Surfers Paradise, Australia * Park Hyatt Sydney, Australia * The Darling Hotel, Australia

Australasia's Leading Resort
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia * Hayman, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia * Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, French Polynesia * InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, Fiji * InterContinental Resort Tahiti, French Polynesia * Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Fiji * Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa, Australia * Qualia Great Barrier Reef, Australia * Solitaire Lodge, New Zealand * The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, French Polynesia * The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Ski Resort
Bayview Chateau Tongariro, New Zealand * Hotel Pension Grimus, Mount Buller, Australia * Huski, Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia * Perisher Ski Resort, Australia * Riverrun Lodge, New Zealand

Australasia's Leading Spa Resort
Angsana Great Barrier Reef, Australia * Cypress Lakes Resort, Australia * Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, French Polynesia * InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, French Polynesia * Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Fiji * Paihia Beach Resort & Spa Hotel, New Zealand * Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, Australia * The Sebel Reef House & Spa, Australia * The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji

Australasia's Leading Tour Operator
Abercrombie & Kent * Artisans of Leisure * Bill Peach Journeys * Cox & Kings * Flying Kiwi Adventure Tours * Intrepid Travel * Kuoni * Virgin Australia

Australasia's Leading Tourist Board
Cook Islands Tourism * Fiji Tourism * New Zealand Tourism Board * South Pacific Tourism Organisation * Tahiti Tourism * Tourism Australia

Australasia's Leading Travel Agency Best Flights
Bridge & Wickers * Concierge Traveller * Elixir, New Zealand * Flight Centre * Go Holidays * Harvey World Travel * House of Travel * Jetset Travel * STA Travel * Tahiti Nui Travel

Australasia's Leading Travel Management Company
BCD Travel * Corporate Travel Management * FCm Travel Solutions * JCM Destination * Navigator Travel Management * Pan Pacific Destination Management * Rosie DMC * Travel Management Group * Turama Pacific Travel Group

Australasia's Leading Villas
Double Island, Queensland * Eagles Nest, New Zealand * Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora * Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Fiji * Le Tahaa Island Resort & Spa * Millbrook Resort Hotel, New Zealand * Pacific Resort Aitutaki * Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort, French Polynesia * Taveuni Palms, Fiji * Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa, Cook Islands

Australasia's Responsible Tourism Award
Responsible Tourism Code for the Pacific * South Australian Tourism Commission * Tourism Western Australia * Treetops Lodge & Estate, New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand's Leading Boutique Hotel
Eichardt's Private Hotel * Huka Lodge * Ohtel, Wellington * Otahuna Lodge * Queenstown Park Hotel * The Charlotte Jane * The George Christchurch * The Spire Queenstown

New Zealand's Leading Business Hotel
Crowne Plaza Hotel Auckland * Hilton Auckland * InterContinental Wellington * Millennium Hotel Queenstown * Pullman Auckland * Sky City Grand Hotel, Auckland * Sofitel Queenstown * The Langham Hotel Auckland

New Zealand's Leading Golf Resort
Kauri Cliffs * Lakes Resort Pauanui * Millbrook * Terrace Downs High Country Resort * The Farm Cape Kidnappers

New Zealand's Leading Hotel
Hilton Auckland * InterContinental Wellington * Sky City Grand Hotel * Solitaire Lodge * The Langham Hotel Auckland * The Spire Hotel

New Zealand's Leading Luxury Lodge
Azur Luxury Lodge * Blanket Bay * Claremont Country Estate & Nature Reserve * Fiordland Lodge * Huka Lodge * Lake Okareka Lodge * Lake Taupo Lodge * Otahuna Lodge * Solitaire Lodge * The Lodge At Cape Kidnappers * Treetops Lodge & Estate * Wharekauhau Lodge and Country Estate

New Zealand's Leading Resort
Blanket Bay * Eagles Nest * Lake Okareka Lodge * Paihia Beach Resort & Spa Hotel * Solitaire Lodge

New Zealand's Leading Ski Resort
Bayview Chateau Tongariro * Riverrun Lodge * The Spire Queenstown

New Zealand's Leading Spa Resort
Kimi Ora Spa Resort * Millbrook Resort Hotel * Paihia Beach Resort & Spa Hotel * The Langham Hotel Auckland * Wharekauhau Lodge and Country Estate

Auckland Airport’s new Lounge voted the best

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5162/5298253222_4d943c8e06_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/5298253222/)
New international departure atrium at Auckland Airport, 27th. Dec. 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/5298253222/) by PhillipC (http://www.flickr.com/people/flissphil/), on Flickr

The Malaysian Airlines Customers Experience Awards, held in Kuala Lumpur, saw Auckland Airport’s new luxury lounge secure the award for ‘Best 3rd Party Lounge’. The Emperor Lounge was awarded ‘Best 3rd Party Lounge’ based on an International Survey conducted by Malaysian Airlines, customer feedback and independent assessments of all their 3rd Party Lounges around the world. In October 2011, Emperor Lounge initially opened to host Malaysia Airlines premium customers; supporting Malaysia Airlines brand aspiration of Malaysian Hospitality by delivering a high quality lounge experience on the airlines behalf. Emperor Lounge then launched publically in January 2012, becoming New Zealand’s first premium lounge facility that caters for all international passengers regardless of the airline they are flying with.

The fully inclusive lounge menu has been specially developed to suit both halal and non-halal dietary requirements, and is just part of the overall premium offer which includes complimentary beverages, free Wi-Fi access, shower packs and relaxing surroundings close to the airport’s award winning retail space. The Emperor Lounge complements a number of existing airline operated lounges that are located at Auckland Airport, providing greater choice for partner airlines and for passengers. Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial said “Our objective is to ensure the guests of our airline customers are getting a great service. Meeting the high standards required of a 5 star airline reflects a significant achievement for Auckland Airport.”

To find out more information about the Emperor Lounge or to pre-book online from only $49 per person, please go to: www.aucklandairport.co.nz.

Business tourism expo worth millions

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08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7107689603/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

A trade show in Auckland next month will boost business tourism by millions of dollars, organisers say. The annual MEETINGS trade show, which will bring more than 1000 people together at SkyCity's convention centre, has attracted record numbers. The expo gives overseas conference and incentive travel planners a chance to meet New Zealand suppliers and operators of venues, products and services. The June 13 and 14 event will feature 172 exhibitors and 350 day buyers, as well as 188 hosted buyers from countries such as Australia, the United States, China, Malaysia, Singapore and India. "The stage is set for some significant business deals to be initiated," Conventions and Incentives New Zealand chief executive Alan Trotter says. Event manager Jeanette Stanton says 1000 people are expected to attend over two days. Last year's event in Rotorua generated more than $32 million of business leads.

Hey just to let you guys know I'm a Biggest Loser fanatic.. I don't know why. Anyway, this week and next they're in NZ! Being the fan I am I had to watch ahead online.. Man do they market us amazingly to the Yanks.. Except for when they're ontop of Mt Eden saying WOW WE CAN SEE ALL OF NEW ZEALAND!!!! They do lots of adventure challenges in Auckland and Queenstown with some amazing views. Hopefully it's helped generate more interest amongst American's that 'Hey! We're here! Right at the bottom guys! Don't forget us!!"

^^
Excuse my ignorance but when and what channel is it on? :)

Novotel Auckland Airport Flies High with Architecture Award

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2654/5823765766_48d8eab353_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823765766/)
29 MAY 11 16°C AKL AIRPORT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823765766/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2169/5823193789_dcc08eae32_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823193789/)
29 MAY 11 16°C AKL AIRPORT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823193789/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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29 MAY 11 16°C AKL AIRPORT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823191443/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

As the first building that most international visitors see on their arrival to New Zealand, the new-build Novotel Auckland Airport had to be much more than just a hotel – it had to encapsulate as much about the country as possible in its physical design and appearance. It has clearly succeeded because the 4.5-star hotel, designed by Warren and Mahoney Architects has won the 2012 New Zealand Architecture Award for Best Commercial Architecture. With the hotel owned by one of New Zealand’s largest Maori entities, Tainui Group Holdings, in partnership with Auckland Airport and Accor, who operate the hotel, the award judges paid tribute to the hotel design saying it gave “a sense of what is physically and culturally unique about New Zealand”. Since opening one year ago, the Novotel has transformed the airport business district. With its location just 50 metres from the international terminal, the hotel provides an immediate sense of arrival, with the V-like steel supports designed to replicate the bow of the Maori waka canoes that first arrived in the area many hundreds of years ago.

The interior design includes many Maori inspired design features, as well as art from local designers, including a remarkable steel spiral staircase. The striking bed-heads feature images of the distinctive toi-toi grasses, while New Zealand’s most distinctive tree – the graceful pohutukawa tree – flanks the entrance to the hotel, providing guests with a powerful symbol of the country’s rich character and natural beauty. General Manager of Novotel Auckland Airport, Paul Columbus, says “Our team are absolutely thrilled to win this prestigious architecture award. For travellers, the Novotel is one of the first and last impressions of New Zealand so it was important for the hotel’s design to cleverly infuse references to the country’s culture and heritage without compromising on style and convenience. “As one of Accor’s leading hotels in sustainability, were are proud that our rooms and public spaces incorporate the latest interior design trends but also anticipate new ones whilst meeting the highest levels of sustainable performance”.

Carnival welcomes Queens Wharf transformation

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08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7107689151/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Carnival Australia has welcomed Waterfront Auckland’s release of designs for the transformation of Queens Wharf into a world class multi-use cruise terminal and events facility. The new facility will confirm Auckland’s position as a vital cruise hub and a key part of the world’s fastest growing cruise market. “Auckland has one of the world’s finest harbours and Queens Wharf provides one of the most spectacular backdrops of any harbour city,” said Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia. “As we saw during the Rugby World Cup celebrations, the dramatic spectacle of cruise ships coming alongside in the heart of Auckland contributes to New Zealand’s popularity as a cruise destination. “By showing such strong leadership in upgrading port facilities, Auckland Council and the New Zealand Government have recognised that cruising is an ever increasing economic opportunity.” Ms Sherry said the proposed design for Queens Wharf also allowed for growth in the number of cruise passengers and the increasing size of cruise ships. Being able to cater for ships carrying up to 3,000 passengers was a forward looking decision that would ensure Auckland continued to grow as a cruise hub in the South Pacific.

A question for the south islanders.....

I have to head from Christchurch to Queenstown in early June. Was originally going to fly but have heard the drive us a good one. It's been recommended that you should break up the trip with a night in Lake Tekapo or Mount Cook Village.

Thoughts?

A question for the south islanders.....

I have to head from Christchurch to Queenstown in early June. Was originally going to fly but have heard the drive us a good one. It's been recommended that you should break up the trip with a night in Lake Tekapo or Mount Cook Village.

Thoughts?

The drive is about 5 and a half hours in length assuming you're sticking to the usual speed limits, sticking to the default signposted route, and driving with an average behaviour.

A rather rough summary is:

CHRISTSCHURCH to GERALDINE
• 1.75 Hours along the Canterbury plains - The route is moderate-heavy trafficked and is notorious for being one of NZ's most boring road journeys. However it can be nice on a clear winters day with snow on the mountains in the distance.

GERALDINE to LAKE TEKAPO
• 45mins of rolling hills, winding road some of which has a rather poor geometry but there are some good straight bits with a gentle climb over Burkes Pass. Scenery over the rolling hills is pretty, but not that unique in NZ. The views from the top higher slopes of Burkes Pass is nice though.

LAKE TEKAPO to OMARAMA
• 1 Hour of mostly straight well graded road with gentle curves around lake sides and mostly undeveloped land. Very picturesque.

OMARAMA to CROMWELL
• 1.25 Hours mostly well graded road, some windy bits, mostly through farmland with a good gentle climb up and down the Lindis Pass, the highest elevation on any state highway in the South Island. At this time of year it can be quite icy in shaded areas so great care is needed. Scenic in it's own right, but its a pretty "typical" rural farmland scenery in many parts of NZ

CROMWELL to QUEENSTOWN
• 45mins very windy, slow and busy highway. Very picturesque through a rather rugged river gorge.


I do recommend that if you have time, break up the journey and spend the whole day taking your time. There are some nice little places to explore...

Or for Christchurch-Geraldine take the Scenic Highway, route 77. It's a stunning drive and although it may take a bit longer (not too much) and if my drive in mid-Autumn was anything to go by, I can only imagine how much more spectacular it will be in winter. There are gorges to cross and the mountains will tower above you to the west :)

I'd suggest SH1 but seeing as though you're looking at breaking the journey up, why not take a bit of time out and take the scenic road?

Thanks for the tips guys.

Will definitely be breaking the trip up, most likely via a stay on Mt Cook Village, and taking the scenic route suggested.

Cheers!

Air NZ passenger numbers rise in April

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Air New Zealand A320 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53161794@N06/5010706300/) by Suzuki san (http://www.flickr.com/people/53161794@N06/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand's long-haul passenger numbers rose 4.4 percent in April and the airline announced plans to increase capacity between Queenstown and Australian cities by 8 percent this ski-season. The airline carried 1.02 million passengers in April, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Long-haul passengers increased to 113,000 from 108,000, while domestic traffic crept up 0.6 percent to 680,000. Passengers carried on Asia, Japan and the UK routes increased by 16.9 percent to 48,000 last month, followed by Australia and the Pacific, up 4 percent to 230,000. Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia are teaming up to increase the number of flights between Australia and Queenstown by 8 percent for the 2012 ski season. The new services will see a 13 percent rise in seats from Melbourne, 10 percent increase from Sydney and 3 percent rise from Brisbane.

The airline is also increasing its domestic capacity to Queenstown, with over 300 extra seats now available from Wellington and 650 extra seats from Auckland. Auckland-based Air New Zealand has also signaled plans to increase the capacity on its Auckland-Perth route by more than 20 percent this year. In September the airline will replace its 234-seat Boeing 767-300s with 304 seat Boeing 777-200ER aircraft on its non-stop Auckland-to-Perth service. From October the airline will also add a third weekly flight on its Auckland-to-Honolulu route, increasing the total number of seats available on the route by 50 percent. This is all part of the airline's aim for a $110 million profit improvement from its long-haul services by 2015, which are now an underperforming part of the company. The airline’s first-half profit sank 61 percent to $38 million on higher fuel costs and fewer international passengers. Shares in the airline are currently trading at 91 cents.

Mypass the ticket to everything

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Skiing-wanaka-new-zealand-treble-Cone-Off-Piste (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48618244@N02/5325574984/) by Lake Wanaka (http://www.flickr.com/people/48618244@N02/), on Flickr

The NZSki mypass card, the card that’s used to access lifts at three of the South Island of New Zealand’s premier ski areas, has just got better. New for 2012, the mypass card can now be pre-loaded with cash – turning it into ‘mypass money’ that can be spent on any transaction at Coronet Peak or The Remarkables in Queenstown, and at Canterbury’s Mt Hutt. The mypass card already records and stores an individual’s information including their lift pass purchases, lessons, and rental history. For those who return from one season to the next, it makes the whole process speedier and easier. Guests can pre-purchase their product online and head straight to the lift or rental department with their mypass card loaded with the right information, bypassing Guest Services.

Now the card can also be used as an on-mountain debit card, meaning skiers and snowboarders don’t even have to carry a credit card or cash in their jacket or ski pants. “You can pre-load your mypass card with as much cash as you want and leave the wallet at home,” said NZSki CEO James Coddington. “For families it’s perfect because it means parents can load money on their kids’ mypass cards so they can buy drinks, snacks or lunch without having to bother Mum or Dad throughout the day. “At the end of a hard day’s skiing, or at the end of your holiday, you don’t lose your money because it can be credited back to you. “For visitors, it means one less worry while they’re on the slopes.” Mr Coddington said ‘monetisation’ of the mypass card was being continually developed to make the on-mountain guest experience an easy and efficient one.

It is also interchangeable between all three mountains. To load mypass money an account needs to be set up along with a secure PIN to ensure security of your funds. Just like when you set up your PIN with the bank this needs to be done in person. A PIN can be set up at Guest Services on the mountain, in the Snow Centre in Queenstown or at the Snow Desk in Methven. Mypass cards can be used to track snow stats each season including number of runs and days on the mountains and you can monitor your mypass money balance, simply by activating a personal mypass account online at www.nzski.com/mypass. Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt are scheduled to open for the 2012 season on June 9 and The Remarkables from June 16 subject to conditions.

Auckland Airport Retains Silver Sustainability Certification

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20110317 064 AKL International (http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartyn/5785901639/) by scottdm (http://www.flickr.com/people/smartyn/), on Flickr

Auckland Airport continues to be a sustainable destination, retaining Silver certification under the Earthcheck global sustainable tourism scheme. As the key benchmarking, certification and environmental management programme used by the global travel and tourism industry, the Earthcheck Silver certification provides further confirmation that Auckland Airport is now a leader in the sustainability field. Auckland Airport also shares the honour with the architecturally award-winning Novotel Auckland Airport, which achieved Silver status earlier this year. “The success of the Earthcheck certification for two companies at the key gateway into New Zealand is a real result for New Zealand tourism,” says Martin Fryer, Auckland Airport’s Sustainability Advisor. “International visitors can arrive at an airport that is committed to sustainable business practice and walk into the foyer of a 4.5 star airport hotel adopting the same principals. This is a fantastic way for visitors to be welcomed into New Zealand.”

With an increasing number of New Zealand tourism operators and even whole communities, such as Kaikoura, following the Earthcheck standard, the programme is highly regarded within the travel and tourism industry in New Zealand. “There is an extremely rigorous process involved to achieve Earthcheck certification,” continues Mr Fryer “It requires airports specifically to undergo independent third party audits on an annual basis and all participants must strive for continual improvement in performance.” “The Earthcheck programme follows a standard that focusses on all areas of airport operations from our carbon emissions to the use of biodegradable chemicals. And we are also required to fix any raised corrective actions by the following annual audit, which certainly keeps us on our toes!” Fryer says “It’s fantastic to receive this on-going recognition, particularly as we are creating a new, long term, sustainable business strategy that includes targets of Earthcheck Gold and Platinum certification over the coming five to ten years”

Wellington Hotel in world top nine

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Helicopter over Wellington, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwinick/80123920/) by Nick the New York Kiwi (http://www.flickr.com/people/kiwinick/), on Flickr

CQ Hotels Wellington ‘Quality Hotel’ on Cuba Street has been recognised as one of the top Choice Hotels in the world. The hotel took out the Choice Hotel's Quality Franchisee of the Year title at the franchise's Australasia awards last September. It also picked up the Gold Award for excellence in branding, marketing, customer relations, franchisor relations, training and development, profitability and amenities. The win meant it was selected as one of nine finalists for Choice Hotel's International Quality Hotel of the Year, held at the 2012 International Choice Convention in Las Vegas this month. Wellington’s Quality Hotel was up against hotels from France, Scotland, Mexico Brazil, Sweden, El Salvador, Italy and Canada. The best hotel was awarded to Mexico. “It was a real privilege to be chosen as one of the top nine Quality hotels in the world - and a major coup for Wellington. We know that we came very close to winning so on a positive note we have taken away some key learning’s from these awards and will be back next year ready to claim the title in Los Angeles,” said Wellington Quality Hotel manager Olivier Lacoua. “Attending the 2012 International Choice Convention in Las Vegas was also a fantastic opportunity for CQ Hotels Wellington to get exposure, network amongst thousands of people in the hotel industry worldwide. In particular, I was extremely thrilled to meet guest speaker Chris Gardner, a successful entrepreneur who was also the inspiration for the movie "The Pursuit of Happiness" - he was also an inspiration for me on both a personal and business level,” said Mr Lacoua. Wellington’s Quality Hotel was selected from 6100 Choice Hotels in the world. The winning hotels were nominated and judged by an executive panel comprising members from Choice Hotels’ Senior Management and Franchise Services Team.

World's largest man-made floating wetland in Rotorua

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Rotorua Museum (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nigel_kelso/4104440112/) by GaelicKiwi (http://www.flickr.com/people/nigel_kelso/), on Flickr

Work on assembling and planting what is believed will be the world’s largest man-made floating wetland is underway in Rotorua. Twenty thousand native plants on the Rotorua District Council-coordinated environmental enhancement initiative will help improve Lake Rotorua water quality while promoting the district with the word ‘Rotorua’ spelled out in giant letters floating on the lake. After several months of constructing the floating wetland framework contractors commenced assembly of the structure at Sulphur Point alongside Lake Rotorua last week. When completed the 4,000 square metre floating wetland will be anchored in Lake Rotorua off-shore from Rotorua International Airport. At 160 metres in length by 40 metres wide the wetland will be similar in size to a full rugby field.

Rotorua District Council Infrastructure Services group manager Nico Claassen said assembly involved modules being progressively bolted together at the water’s edge, “like knitting a scarf row by row.” “As each new row is attached the wetland is pushed further out onto the water, growing in size each time.” A total of 76 modules have been assembled to complete the first section which forms the letter 'A', with another six sections yet to be built. The seven sections will then be fastened together in their final form shaping the word 'Rotorua'. Planting is being carried out as each section is completed with assembly and planting expected to be finished by the end of July. Mr Claassen said the vegetation layer will involve more than 20,000 native plants being hand-sewn, all of which have been grown from Rotorua sourced seeds.

“The wetland structure will be moored temporarily in the sheltered bay to the west side of the Sulphur Point boat ramp to allow the plants to fully establish their root systems. It will then be towed five kilometres across the lake and anchored at its final mooring 200 metres offshore from the airport. The $900,000 environmental initiative is a partnership of Rotorua District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Te Arawa Lakes Trust. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is putting in $225,000 with an additional $225,000 funding from the Crown via the Rotorua Lakes Funding Deed. Rotorua District Council's investment in the project is $450,000. Rotorua mayor Kevin Winters said the building of a large-scale wetland was an environmental consent requirement to compensate in part for reducing an area of land-based wetlands when the city’s airport runway was extended.

“Because floating wetlands have proved substantially more effective as environmental remediation tools, this project’s key focus is on a lake-based wetland device rather than land-based wetlands,” said Mr Winters. “We expect it to capture attention worldwide as an innovative environmental improvement measure and we anticipate it will also become an intriguing addition to our region’s diverse tourism product.” Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman John Cronin said wetlands played an important role in filtering out water-based nutrients that otherwise impact on water quality and lead to intermittent outbreaks of algal bloom. He said science showed that strategically located floating wetlands were at least four times more effective at stripping nutrients from water, like Nitrogen and Phosphorus, than conventional terrestrial wetlands.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust chairman Toby Curtis said the trust was also right behind the initiative as it will be a significant contributor to the future sustainability of the district’s largest lake. Mr Claassen said a temporary security fence had been installed for public safety while construction is underway at Sulphur Point. “We’re asking members of the public to stay clear of the assembly area as it contains hazards, such as cables being tensioned. The floating wetland surface isn't stable and isn't designed for walking on. Therefore access has to be restricted to trained staff wearing appropriate safety gear.” Mr Winters said a ceremony to mark construction of the wetland and to bless the structure will take place on its completion in approximately six weeks time. “A further ceremony is planned for when the wetland makes its five kilometre journey across the lake from the rohe of Ngati Whakaue to its final anchorage near the airport in the rohe of Ngati Uenukukopako in about six months time.

Tourism industry embraces China growth opportunity

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New Zealand - Canterbury Plains- Akaroa Region (http://www.flickr.com/photos/1234abcd/1001374689/) by thinboyfatter (http://www.flickr.com/people/1234abcd/), on Flickr

Riding a rapidly growing wave of Chinese tourism, New Zealand industry operators are moving to capitalise and develop their own growth opportunities as this inbound market looks set to only increase in the future. Figures from Auckland Airport’s Ambition 2020 initiative show indicative Chinese visitor numbers developing from 160,000 per year today to more than 430,000 arrivals by 2020, underpinned by significant work in market to develop high-value longer stay visitors and free independent travellers (FIT)/semi FIT visitors. On-going campaigns with prominent travel wholesalers in China, interest and local investment from principal airline China Southern and a forecasted outbound traveller increase from 70 million to 80 million in 2012 are just some of the factors behind the rapid and continuing local growth.

Despite this rise, international customer service and tourism development specialist, Trevor Lee of TravConsult cautions New Zealand tourism operators to be prepared to put in the work to attract discerning Chinese tourists. “There is no fast-track approach or shortcut to winning the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers and potential travellers. They are fortunate to have the world at their feet via the internet, social media and the recommendations of e-WOM (electronic word of mouth). China is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. To help tourism businesses in New Zealand to better understand and attract premium travellers from Asia as part of Ambition 2020, Auckland Airport has hosted a series of ‘LETS GET READY’ China workshops with TravConsult, drawing strong attendance from a wide selection of the tourism industry.

TravConsult’s Lilly Choi-Lee says with the Chinese traveller and market evolving at such a rapid rate, complacency and over-confidence is a losing formula. “Tourism professionals who attended the three-day series of Auckland Airport workshops now have a toolkit and clear insight into effective strategies to compete in the global market for the Chinese outbound market.” Following their success, the workshops have expanded to include sessions providing market intelligence and customer insight into the Indian, Korean and Indonesian markets. “The workshops have been invaluable and delegates will have a definite advantage over competitors as a result of attending,” said Les Morgan, Director of Operations, Sudima Hotels New Zealand and Australia. Ann Gregor from Volcanic Air Safaris said, “The workshops went a long way to assist in building the entire picture of the Chinese culture. Certainly from our company’s perspective it has provided me with a lot of ideas on how we can better serve the Chinese business/visitor.”

Commenting on the market’s rapid development, Glenn Wedlock, Auckland Airport’s General Manager Aeronautical Commercial, says the local tourism industry Is starting to capture new markets from China and it is important we keep developing the NZ Inc. potential. “The Chinese economy has spent the past ten years growing at a phenomenal rate – and as a result the market here is moving that way too. It has been fantastic to see such a strong appetite for developing and expanding skills within the New Zealand tourism industry, and Auckland Airport is committed to aiming higher, doing more to capture this growth and target the highest value tourists for both our industry and our economy overall.” The workshops were held in Auckland, Rotorua and, this week, Queenstown, and attended by over 100 representatives of New Zealand’s tourism sector.

Leading NZ bed and breakfast named among top 10

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Golf, Methven, Canterbury, New Zealand. www.abisko.co.nz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/abisko_lodge/5258883361/) by Abisko Lodge - Methven, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/people/abisko_lodge/), on Flickr

Despite battling through earthquakes and an initial slump of visiting tourists, a Christchurch luxury bed and breakfast has been named in the top 10 places to stay in the South Pacific, including Australia. Pacific View Paradise, near the top of the Cashmere Hills has come through a remarkable period to be rated by Trip Advisor, the world’s largest travel website, among the best rated B and Bs in the South Pacific. The annual awards are based on millions of reviews and opinions from travellers all over the world. Former TVNZ and BBC reporter, presenter and producer Linda Estall-Bone, who owns Pacific View Paradise, said the result was great news for Christchurch. Christchurch and Canterbury tourism has taken a battering since September 4 2010 but the accolades from Trip Advisor are a huge boost to the quake-hit region.

`It’s just fantastic news for Canterbury and Christchurch that we have been recognised by the most important people of all - our guests - via Trip Advisor, the world's leading travel guide authority on where to stay,’’ Estall-Bone said today.`Not only have we been also just been given a Trip Advisor Award of Excellence 2012 but we have also won a Trip Advisor Travellers' Choice Award which is great coming from the top authority on the planet for good places to visit as they are based on actual guest experience.`We expect a huge response from this award which will be great for tourism here. We just have a mark on a wall in a bedroom when a candle fell over in one of the quakes so we are very lucky we are on safe solid ground here,’’ she said.

Christchurch has begun recovering from 21 months of earthquakes. But overseas tourists are coming back to Christchurch, still the main gateway to the South Island. Estall-Bone said she has always wanted to run her own luxury B&B and that dream came true in 2004 when she opened Pacific View Paradise. The bed and breakfast has magnificent uninterrupted breathtaking views of the ocean, the mountains and Christchurch city. She said her business was going better than she ever imagined and overseas guests just loved the warm hospitality and relaxing environment at her stylish B&B on the Cashmere hills.`I've had to bring someone in to help me run the B&B. I'm just really lucky to have the most wonderful people come and stay here." Estall-Bone said she was soon refurbishing her B&B so it would be ready for influx of spring shoulder season tourists.

If I ever decide to play golf, I want it to be there! STUNNING!

Air NZ long-haul passengers up 4.8%

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Air New Zealand A320 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53161794@N06/5010706300/) by Suzuki san (http://www.flickr.com/people/53161794@N06/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand's long-haul passenger numbers rose 4.8 per cent last month, led by a rise in the number of Kiwis departing for Asia and Australia. The airline, slated for Government selldown, said it carried 910,000 passengers in May, up 2 per cent from a year earlier. Long-haul passengers increased to 103,000 from 98,000, while domestic traffic crept up 1.7 per cent to 807,000. Passengers carried on the Asia, Japan and Britain routes increased by 10.8 per cent to 41,000, followed by Australia and the Pacific, which were up 5.9 per cent to 195,000. Air New Zealand named Christopher Luxon as its new chief executive this week. Luxon is at present the airline's general manager for international and will replace Rob Fyfe at the end of the year.

He sees profit in Kiwis heading to the United States as the airline targets a $110 million lift in earnings from its long-haul services by 2015. In February, Air New Zealand announced it was looking to explore opportunities in South America, Asia and North America, while deepening its Chinese network. "North America has experienced huge growth in the last 12 months, our projections see huge growth," Luxon said. "It's just how we are going to access it." Passengers travelling to North America and Britain rose 1.1 per cent to 62,000 last month. This week the airline began its first nonstop flight to Bali. The seasonal service will operate two direct flights a week until October.

Celebrity-spotting now available on Air New Zealand

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Air New Zealand 77W Premium Economy Cabin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superhero-monkee/5560119619/) by lindsay.gardiner (http://www.flickr.com/people/superhero-monkee/), on Flickr

In-flight celebrity-spotting on Air New Zealand flights has taken on a whole new meaning with a new safety video featuring everyone from world leaders and musicians to sports stars. Air New Zealand launches onboard early next month a new hand-sketched in-flight safety video fronted by Emmy-nominated American actor Ed O’Neill of hit TV show Modern Family and New Zealand-born actress Melanie Lynskey of Two and a Half Men. The new video features “cameo appearances” from a range of well known personalities, including world leaders like United States President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and French President Francois Hollande. Other well-known faces include All Black Captain Richie McCaw, Olympians Mahe Drysdale and Valerie Adams, television star Paul Henry and rapper Snoop Dogg.

In recognition of the high volume of customers Air New Zealand carries from Asia, two top Chinese celebrities feature. Kevin Tsai is a high-profile television personality who was named one of GQ China’s Men of the Year in 2011, while Chet Lam is a well-known musician and composer based in Hong Kong. The new safety video will be progressively rolled out onboard all international and domestic jet flights from early July and can be seen here. Given the global popularity of Air New Zealand’s safety videos the airline has launched a competition where people who identify more than five of the celebrities in the video can be in to win an amazing around-the-world trip for two. Air New Zealand General Manager Marketing and Communications Mike Tod says the latest safety video is the airline’s first foray into a sketched and animated format.

“We’ve previously featured body-painted airline staff, All Blacks and fitness guru Richard Simmons in our videos which have attracted more than 20 million views online. This time, we’re taking the opportunity to highlight the global reach of our business and to recognise world events and celebrities in a uniquely Air New Zealand way. That’s why customers will see world leaders who feature in election processes this year, Olympians competing to prove they are the best in the world, our All Black Captain and A-listers who are big in their markets today,” Mr Tod says. “It’s great to be able to deliver our safety messages in an engaging, informative way that also makes people smile – and this time around gives them a chance to win a trip to see the world.”

Air New Zealand’s latest innovative safety video has already captured international media attention before its launch. OK magazine in the United States carries a story on Ed O’Neill and Melanie Lynskey voicing the video in a recent issue The magazine says – “Bored by snoozy pre-flight safety videos? Fly Air New Zealand – they got Ed O’Neill and Kiwi Two and a Half Men actress Melanie Lynskey to record fun versions!” Mr Tod says Air New Zealand was delighted to secure Ed O’Neill and Melanie Lynskey to voice the safety video. “Ed has massive international appeal through his roles on hit sitcoms Modern Family and Married with Children and numerous movie appearances. Melanie is a hugely talented actress who has worked alongside the likes of Charlie Sheen and George Clooney and who is course well-known to Kiwis through her role in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures.”

International visitor arrivals up 4 per cent for the year

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Archway Islands & Wharariki Beach, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherbryant/5577430003/) by chris.bryant (http://www.flickr.com/people/christopherbryant/), on Flickr

Statistics released today confirmed year-on-year growth in international visitor arrivals of 4.0 per cent, with 2.6 million arrivals to New Zealand for the year ending May 2012. Maintaining year-on-year growth across the low season is a positive sign for the industry says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler. “We first saw this number of overseas visitors in December 2011, when arrivals topped 2.6 million for the first time. Seeing this maintained as we head into winter, with growth in our key markets of Australia, up 3.3 per cent for the year, and China up 32.3 per cent, is a good sign.” Statistics New Zealand’s International Travel and Migration figures show overall arrivals for the month were 140,841, up 0.1 per cent on the same period last year. Holiday arrivals grew by 3.2 per cent and visiting family and relative arrivals up 6.7 per cent compared to the year-ending May 2011. China continues to show strong growth with holiday arrivals up 61.1 per cent for the month. While South East Asia arrivals grew for the year, arrivals were down for the month reflecting the loss of Air Asia X.

“The decrease in arrivals from Singapore and Malaysia show the importance of successful air-connections to our offshore markets. We are working to offset this and have marketing activity underway with key airline partners in the region.” International visitor stay days also grew, up 0.5 per cent for the year generating 50.8 million stay days in New Zealand. “Looking at stay days allows us to better understand the likely value of international arrivals. We can see that more work needs to be done to increase visitor stay days through attracting longer-staying, higher-value visitors to New Zealand. “Germany is a good example. While we have seen German holiday arrivals decline recently, down 4.1 per cent year to date, when you look length of stay with arrival numbers over a longer period of time we can see that Germany has generated the third highest number of stay days in New Zealand since 2005. “This places them ahead of the US and China and only just behind the UK. “While China continues to deliver high number of arrivals, we need to increase the number of stay days to realise the full potential value of this market.”

Taiwanese celebrity launches campaign to promote New Zealand

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LINK (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72160183@N05/6517762383/)

In the next phase of its Ambition 2020 initiative1, Auckland Airport is launching a new high-profile traveller campaign to grow inbound tourism from Taiwan – a strategically important growth market for the New Zealand tourism sector. The first Taiwanese celebrity guests, television news anchor HaiYin Chen and her renowned architect husband Lienchuan Yu, have just completed an eight-day tour in New Zealand this week which included the Queenstown Winter Festival. Their tour marks the beginning of a campaign targeting this untapped market, as Auckland Airport hosts a series of high-profile travelers to promote ‘all-seasons’ New Zealand – aiming to influence travellers to consider and choose New Zealand as a place to visit. Taiwan has a population of 23 million and is considered a mature and high-value market that could, at a minimum, increase to about 21,000 inbound visitors to New Zealand per year by 2020 – potentially bringing, at the very least, an additional $70 million dollars to the economy.

The Taiwan campaign follows the announcement of trade pact talks with New Zealand later this year – vitally important as Taiwan is our largest butter importer, fourth largest fresh fruit importer and eighth largest export market. The new Taiwan-centric celebrity campaign comes at the end of a highly successful nationwide series of Auckland Airport ‘LETS GET READY’ workshops designed to better understand and attract premium travellers from Asia. Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial for Auckland Airport, says the campaign, and HaiYin, a lead anchor for ETTV Taiwan’s Eastern Evening News in particular, are of significant value as brand ambassadors to our country as they use their enormous social media presence to share the New Zealand experience with their fan-bases back home. “Bringing HaiYin and Lienchuan here and showing them, and their fans back in Taiwan, what New Zealand has to offer is part of our successful strategy to promote local tourism destinations and develop our nation’s reputation as a must-visit travel destination,” says Mr Wedlock.

“HaiYin has drawn in more than 25,600,000 visitors to her online blog posts alone, a massive following we’re hoping to tap into to grow tourism from Taiwan.” Identified as a strategically important market in the airport’s Ambition 2020 initiative, Auckland Airport is focused on creating more quality products to offer the Taiwan market following the resumption of Auckland to Taipei flights (via Brisbane) in 2011 (by China Airlines). Auckland Airport believes that, as with many other expanding tourism markets in Asia, additional inbound capacity will stimulate and drive significant visitor growth. The 2009 introduction of a Visa Free programme has been another key factor, with an immediate and positive impact on visitor numbers. HaiYin made regular updates and shared her views of our country with her fans at home as she toured New Zealand and visited top tourism locations in Auckland, the central North Island and lower South Island.

Her husband Lienchuan Yu, who holds a Masters of Architecture from Cornell University, USA, and was recently highlighted for his work on their own home – being named one of Taiwan's Top 20 Residential Designs. This activity was conducted in conjunction with Taiwan’s largest travel wholesalers, who are being hosted at the Queenstown Winter Festival to meet with suppliers and experience the region first-hand.

While in New Zealand the pair experienced:

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Auckland – CBD, Waiheke Island and Harley Davidson tour

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Hamilton – Zealong Tea Farm (an ultra-premium grower of oolong tea, extremely popular with tea connoisseurs in southern China)

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Matamata – Hobbiton Village

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Waitomo Caves

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Matakana – Sheep World and Brick Bay Vineyard

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Queenstown – Amisfield Vineyard, Arrowtown, Lake Hayes, Queenstown Winter Festival, night skiing and the highest sky diving

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Glenorchy – Dart River jet boating.

Experience the Auckland Riverlands From a Luxury Houseboat

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6324016919_049dc7cb5f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/simoncook/6324016919/)
Crossing Weiti River (http://www.flickr.com/photos/simoncook/6324016919/) by Simon Cook (http://www.flickr.com/people/simoncook/), on Flickr

Taking to the water in a houseboat is an increasingly popular way to cruise the rivers of Australia and Europe and now Kiwi company Discovery River Cruises has brought the luxury houseboating experience to New Zealand. From the plush comfort of the Discovery houseboat, guests can explore the Auckland Riverlands, a hidden gem of the Kiwi landscape, found just 35 minutes south of Auckland city stretching all the way to Port Waikato. The Riverlands are home to stunning landscapes including wetlands, river islands, rolling pastures, native bush and historic sites. What better way to explore this hidden paradise than by chartering a luxury houseboator opting for a cruise package? The beautifully appointed Discovery meanders along the tranquil Riverlands at a leisurely pace giving guests the chance to savour the views. Plus, the calm waters and stable boat design mean there's no fear of sea-sickness.

With all the amenities of a floating luxury hotel or "botel", Discovery can take up to 40 passengers on a day trip andsleep up to 12 overnight. The boat features four stunning cabins complete with five star comforts, including ensuite, TV/DVD, toiletries, dressing gowns and floor-to-ceiling windows with access to the main deck. Two private rear lounges can also be converted into sleeping areas. Discovery River cruise packages offer something for everyone from couples wanting an intimate floating getaway to tourists wanting to take in the history and culture of the river and surroundsincluding war battlements and old paddlewheeler boats. Guests can either stay on board to admire the scenery and wildlife from the water at a leisurely pace, or opt for shore excursions for everything from golf and adventure sports to food and wine - they can even catch their own dinner with a spot of fishing!

For food and wine enthusiasts, Discovery offers a fine dining overnight dinner cruise, with cuisine prepared by award-winning chefs, or grab the whole family and use the boat as a floating hotel base while you kayak, or fish along the river. For that family celebration or a wedding everyone will be talking about for years, Discovery makes a unique venue. It's also a great way to host staff or key clients for fun away-days, or conference sessions. Let Discovery River Cruises and Houseboating reveal the wonders of the Auckland Riverlands from the luxury and leisurely pace of a houseboat, and discover a hidden jewel that has been Auckland's best kept secret for far too long.

LOL, was gonna say that looks more like Central Otago than Auckland.

The tiny text below took me awhile to find.

LOL, was gonna say that looks more like Central Otago than Auckland.

The tiny text below took me awhile to find.

Yeah :) the only pic that I could find of a houseboat - I think that I need to change it ;)

National Geographic names Wanaka as one of the World's top 25 Ski Towns

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6560623023_ee00f2a632_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalabird/6560623023/)
Houseboat on Lake Wanaka (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalabird/6560623023/) by Kalabird (http://www.flickr.com/people/kalabird/), on Flickr

The picturesque resort town of Lake Wanaka in New Zealand’s Southern Alps has been named as one of the top 25 ski towns in the world by the prestigious National Geographic Magazine. Tipped as best for “skiers and snowboarders from the Northern Hemisphere who just can’t let go when winter slips way”, Lake Wanaka is the only town in the Southern Hemisphere to feature in the list and shares the top 25 with such iconic destinations as Aspen in Colorado USA, Zermatt in Switzerland and Chamonix in France. When choosing the top 25 ski towns, National Geographic researchers were seeking the classic ski town with excellent skiing and snowboarding that attracts people from all over the world, combined with an inviting community featuring ski heritage, amenities and culture. Seen as quickly developing a reputation as one of the world’s premier adventure towns, Lake Wanaka gets the most snow in New Zealand, with over 4metres (160in) in an average season.

Lake Wanaka’s Treble Cone has more snow and skiable terrain than any other South Island resort, Snow Park NZ boasts a world-class terrain park, and all surrounded by stunning, Lord of the Rings-style alpine scenery. James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism, said appearing in such a respected list further cemented Lake Wanaka’s position as New Zealand’s leading ski destination. ‘We have four ski areas within half an hour’s drive and a further two within an hour, providing the most varied and extensive terrain in Australasia,” he said. “Combine this with the region’s spectacular scenery and the largest heliskiing area outside of North America and it’s easy to see why the world’s skiers and boarders would come here!” Lake Wanaka features the ski areas of Treble Cone, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Park NZ and the cross-country ski area, Snow Farm. Off-snow activities include mountain biking, climbing, jet boating, 4WD and wine tasting at one of the region’s many vineyards. The vibrant lakeside town includes a host of bars, restaurants and cafes along with a wide variety of accommodation from backpackers to luxury lodges.

Celebrity spotting safety video tops 1 million YouTube views

Air New Zealand’s latest on-board safety video has been watched by more than one million people on YouTube since it was launched just seven days ago. Tens of millions more have seen, read or heard about it through global media coverage including the United States based Entertainment Weekly, OK! magazine, and HuffingtonPost, Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, and Mashable - the world’s largest independent digital and social media news source. It’s even been covered by one of the kings of celebrity gossip, Perez Hilton. The hand-sketched safety video currently features on the YouTube ‘Popular Videos around the Web’ list ranking #2 in the global comedy category and #6 overall. The new video features Emmy-nominated American actor Ed O’Neill of hit TV show Modern Family and New Zealand born actress Melanie Lynskey of Two and a Half Men, as well as cameo appearances from a range of well known international political, sporting and entertainment personalities.

It’s featured on the Modern Family fan site, while the President Obama cameo appearance has earned coverage on a number of US political blogs. Air New Zealand General Manager Marketing and Communications, Mike Tod, says the celebrity spotting nature of the new video has been a key to its’ popularity. “Inviting viewers to name five of the celebrities who appear in the video to be in to win an around-the-world-trip for two has captured the imagination of a global audience and encouraged them to share it – creating an amazing viral effect in just seven days.” “Air New Zealand has a great track record of being able to convey important safety messages in an engaging way that communicates the message while making passengers smile – the bonus to paying attention this time around is the chance to win a trip to see the world.” Air New Zealand’s previous safety videos have been watched online more than 20 million times.

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Snedden's $23 billion tourism challenge
New tourism industry head Martin Snedden says New Zealand should stick to promoting a clean, green image, despite controversy over the claims. The former Rugby World Cup boss said the green image still remains an important point of difference for the $23 billion tourism industry. Snedden took up the chief executive role at the Tourism Industry Association two weeks ago. The association represents about 1700 operators ranging from airlines, hotel chains to one-person tourism operators. Snedden said negative publicity overseas about New Zealand's environmental record had dented faith in the 100 per cent Pure strategy but he sensed that confidence was returning. "I think it's been through a cycle," Sneddon said. "It was an incredibly successful campaign for a long time but the confidence in New Zealand started to erode when we questioned whether we are telling the truth," he said. "Over the last year it's swung back to thinking, 'Yes, that is right'. "The campaign itself is right but what we have to do is to live up to that campaign."

Since taking up the job he had noted a surprising amount of gloom in the industry, which he said was in good shape. Total visitor numbers were growing, visitor night stays were steady and total spending on tourism is holding at about $23 billion a year. About 40 per cent of that comes from foreign visitors. "In a global sense there must be something good happening," Sneddon said. "There's no doubt that some areas are struggling. "People have to adapt to change. There is no such thing as the good old days." Growth in the number of tourists from the traditional markets of Britain and the United States had declined while new markets such as mainland China had boomed in the past few years. Snedden said Indonesia was also a potentially lucrative market. The association, in a submission on air transport policy, has called on the government to concentrate on Pacific Rim markets when negotiating air service agreements. "We don't see any benefit in the Government negotiating new air service agreements with countries such as Poland and Israel when actual and forecast visitor arrivals from these countries are negligible and are not earmarked as future growth markets," Snedden said.

Association forecasts last year showed the Chinese market share would grow from 6 per cent last year to 10 per cent in 2016 while the British market share was predicted to fall from 9 per cent to 7 per cent in the same period. Auckland Airport figures last week showed Chinese visitor numbers jumped 44 per cent in May to 12,443 compared to the same month last year. Operators targeting the Chinese market needed to work on long-term plans. "Obviously there's been some foundation work done and the figures are starting to show some growth," he said. "The process is going to take between 10 and 20 years rather than two and five." Snedden said it was too early for figures on follow-up visits from some of the 133,000 Rugby World Cup tourists but there were early signs some French visitors had returned. The glow from the cup was fading and operators needed to act relatively quickly to take advantage of it. This meant tightly targeting potential markets. "The challenge is now, having opened the door, to keep that going."

The new Northern Explorer was recently launched at Auckland's Britomart Train Station. The train runs between Auckland and the Capital,Wellington - 6 times a week.

NORTHERN EXPLORER

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7483458800_ff095277b0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483458800/)
24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483458800/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483458112/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483461110/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483462380/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483462998/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483461844/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483465482/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483463472/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483474446/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483488214/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

We have the best of both Worlds .... Surf + Ski :colgate:


National Geographic's list of the World's 20 Best Surf Towns:

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high five (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanthia/6759030257/) by Zanthia (http://www.flickr.com/people/zanthia/), on Flickr

Muizenberg, South Africa

Byron Bay, Australia

Florianópolis, Brazil

Tofino, B.C., Canada

Nosara, Costa Rica

Biarritz, France

Bukit Peninsula, Bali, Indonesia

Bundoran, Ireland

Shonan, Japan

Taghazout, Morocco

Raglan, New Zealand

San Sebastián, Spain

Encinitas, CA, US

Santa Cruz, CA, US

New Smyrna Beach, FL, US

Hanalei, Kauai, HI, US

Paia, Maui, HI, US

Montauk, NY, US

Wrightsville Beach, NC, US

La Paloma, Uruguay

RAGLAN .... The surfing world first learned about Raglan, or Whaingaroa as it’s known in the local Maori language, when its empty, seemingly endless left-hand point breaks were featured in Bruce Brown’s seminal surfing film, The Endless Summer. Although you can expect more of a crowd in the lineup today than the Endless Summer boys encountered in 1966, the town itself is a throwback to the golden days of surfing, according to Charlie Young, the director of the Raglan Surfing School. “The old vibe still exists here,” he says. “People still look out for each other.” Lower pressure systems generated in the Roaring Forties (an area between 40° and 49° south latitude that produces some of the strongest and most consistent swells in the world) sends waves to setups that include the beginner- to intermediate-friendly Ngarunui Beach and the more advanced but absolutely classic Manu Bay. When you aren’t in the water, Young recommends checking the avant-garde music and art scene, Maori crafts stores, and locally sourced restaurants and markets.



National Geographic's World's 25 Best Ski Towns

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Whitestar Express, Cardrona (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79603034@N05/7307291622/) by Snow Reports NZ (http://www.flickr.com/people/79603034@N05/), on Flickr

Girdwood, AK, USA

Fernie, Canada

Zermatt, Switzerland

Bozeman, MT, USA

Wanaka, New Zealand

Chamonix, France

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Whitefish, MT, USA

Crested Butte, CO, USA

Aspen, CO, USA

Niseko, Japan

Kitzbühel, Austria

Bend, OR, USA

Mont Tremblant, Canada

Taos, NM, USA

Park City, UT, USA

Truckee, CA, USA

Whistler, Canada

North Conway, NH, USA

Banff, Canada

Steamboat Spring, CO, USA

Telluride, CO, USA

Jackson, WY, USA

Stowe, VT, USA

Ketchum, ID, USA

WANAKA .... Quickly developing a reputation as one of the world’s premier adventure towns, Wanaka sits on the shores of sprawling Lake Wanaka amid New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Surrounded by rugged, Lord of the Rings-style alpine scenery, the tranquil town of 5,000 is peppered with hostels, cafes, pubs, and small, luxury eco-lodges. As is customary in New Zealand ski towns, there’s no skiing right there, but four ski areas are within a 40-minute drive, including one, Snow Park NZ—teenage boys with pants that need to be pulled up, take note—that is essentially one big world-class terrain park. Treble Cone, 35 minutes from town, is the best and closest, with more snow and skiable terrain than any other South Island resort. In typical New Zealand style, the entire ski area is above tree line. It’s also steep, offering intermediates an array of plummeting, groomed runs but limiting the options for beginners. Almost half of the runs are rated expert, and the in-bounds, backcountry-style terrain—a collection of wide-open bowls, chutes, and ridges—is what makes the area sing. Cardrona Alpine Resort, a 40-minute drive south, has more beginner terrain, a quality ski school, and on-mountain lodging.

Ski into Winter Wonderland with Peppers Bluewater Resort

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Skis (http://www.flickr.com/photos/meurer/38190931/) by meurer (http://www.flickr.com/people/meurer/), on Flickr

Winter is well and truly here, turning New Zealand into a ski bunny’s paradise. Situated close to three of the South Island’s most popular ski fields, Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo is the ultimate après ski resort. From Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo, it’s just 35 minutes to Roundhill Ski Field, 50 minutes to Mt Dobson and 80 minutes to Lake Ohau Snow Fields – some of the finest snowfields in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Kick off the winter season in style and luxury with Peppers Bluewater Resort, Lake Tekapo and a two-night Ski Bunny Escape for two. Choose from $258* per night for a Deluxe Lake View room or $278* for a one bedroom Mountain View Villa. On arrival you will be presented with two lift passes for Roundhill ski fields and each morning you will be fuelled up for the day with breakfast for two at Peppers’ signature Rakinui Restaurant.

Roundhill offers easy access, an extensive snowmaking system providing great snow cover and a diverse terrain mix including Australasia’s biggest vertical drop - a whopping 783 metres! Mt Dobson and Lake Oahu also cater for all abilities with miles of both developed trails and off piste tracks for the more adventurous. Peppers Bluewater Resort is set against a backdrop of the stunning turquoise-blue waters of Lake Tekapo and the snow-capped mountains of the Southern Alps. The 142 stylish rooms are all designed drawing inspiration from the majestic surrounding landscape. After an adrenalin filled day on the slopes, kick back in your spacious apartment at Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo, the perfect base to relax or explore the surrounding area. Lake Tekapo offers numerous activities including day trips to Tekapo Springs, the perfect tonic for tired and sore muscles, flights with Air Safaris over magnificent Mt Cook and the Mackenzie countryside and star gazing at the clearest night sky in the Southern Hemisphere above Mt John Observatory with Earth and Sky.

Visit www.peppers.co.nz/bluewater

:bash: Great I guess to see Wanaka near the top in the National Geographic top 25 Ski Towns but holly molly - Queenstown is not there?!? Straight away the list loses total credibility. I'm not even going to begin to say why Queenstown should be right near the top - but really either a genuine oversight (error) or the list is meant to be more of a "hidden ski resorts that you should know about" type of list... if so this should have been stated.:bash:

:bash: Great I guess to see Wanaka near the top in the National Geographic top 25 Ski Towns but holly molly - Queenstown is not there?!? Straight away the list loses total credibility. I'm not even going to begin to say why Queenstown should be right near the top - but really either a genuine oversight (error) or the list is meant to be more of a "hidden ski resorts that you should know about" type of list... if so this should have been stated.:bash:

My thoughts exactly but you will be surprised at just how many people prefer Wanaka ... it beats me :ohno:

Travel + Leisure: World Best Adwards 2012
World's TOP 50 Best Hotels

No. 16 Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay, New ZealandScore: 95.25http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6594273759_5e5c0d6777_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luxorium/6594273759/)
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, luxorium (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luxorium/6594273759/) di luxorium (http://www.flickr.com/people/luxorium/), su Flickr

Set in 6,000 acres of rolling North Island countryside and bushland beside the Pacific Ocean, the 22-suite Lodge of Kauri Cliffs is one of three properties owned by the New York-based Robertson family (the other two being Cape Kidnappers at Hawke’s Bay and Matakauri Lodge near Queenstown). Despite its American antecedents, Kauri Cliffs is, lodge-wise, 100 per cent Kiwi. While golf is the main event, you can also take advantage of two Astroturf-surface tennis courts, an infinity pool, and a trio of secluded swimming beaches. In summer, barbeque suppers are held at Pink Beach. In addition to the spacious suites, there's a 4,200-square-foot two-bedroom Owner’s Cottage. The spa, regarded as one of the best in New Zealand, is in a native totara rainforest with indoor and outdoor fireplaces for those chilly Kiwi days.

***

No. 49 Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand
Score: 93.50http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5304/5639530605_e7139b4d85_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41888033@N03/5639530605/)
Huka Lodge - Junior Lodge Suite (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41888033@N03/5639530605/) di theedgeproperty.com (http://www.flickr.com/people/41888033@N03/), su Flickr

Huka is New Zealand’s original, quintessential lodge retreat founded in the 1920s. It set a high standard for other, like-minded, Kiwi luxury properties decades later, and is still doing so. Built beside the Waikato River, which spills into the Huka Falls, the 25-room lodge occupies 17 acres that have been ranked as a prestigious “Garden of National Significance” by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. All of the junior lodge suites overlook the river, while the four-bedroom Owner’s Cottage and two-bedroom Alan Pye Cottage provide secluded accommodation for multiple guests. Huka Lodge includes a range of private and indoor dining venues as well as a subterranean, vaulted wine cellar, the Jetty Pavilion on the riverbank, and a green room with walls of clipped hedging and lit by a suspended, forged metal candelabra.

Travel + Leisure: World Best Adwards 2012
TOP 10 City Hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific

No. 4 The George, Christchurch, New ZealandScore: 87.76NaAYBthZLa8
www.thegeorge.com

***

No. 6 Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa, New Zealand
Score: 86.67http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6021/5956870319_b7534ca277_z.jpg
www.sofitelqueenstown.co.nz

I remember interviewing for a cleaning job at The George. It didn't look that nice, but the stuffiness scared me off, and I decided I didn't want the job as soon as I'd stepped in there. I interviewed as I normally would, and didn't get the job.

Every time I walk past I think they really should upgrade the exterior if they want to call themselves classy. I'd change the aluminium roof to riles, and make the all-glass enclosure fancier, by wrapping the vertical frame pieces with some tubing set about 10 cm out from it, but rounded, to give the impression that section is rounded.

I remember interviewing for a cleaning job at The George. It didn't look that nice, but the stuffiness scared me off, and I decided I didn't want the job as soon as I'd stepped in there. I interviewed as I normally would, and didn't get the job.

Every time I walk past I think they really should upgrade the exterior if they want to call themselves classy. I'd change the aluminium roof to riles, and make the all-glass enclosure fancier, by wrapping the vertical frame pieces with some tubing set about 10 cm out from it, but rounded, to give the impression that section is rounded.

I would like to see The George, definitely when next I am in CHCH. I will be staying at The Queenstown Sofitel next month and they are going to have a difficult time getting me out ;)

Strong visitor night recovery for Queenstown in May

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QUEENSTOWN (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4773711418/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown monthly visitor numbers showed a strong recovery for May 2012 according to Statistics New Zealand figures released today (11 July), with the resort town recording New Zealand’s highest visitor number increase. The Commercial Accommodation Monitor showed guest nights overall were up 14.4 percent (16,000) to 127,964 in May 2012 compared with May 2011. International guest nights were up 24 percent to 76,302, accounting for 59.6 percent of all guest nights in the Queenstown area in May 2012. Domestic guest nights increased 2.7 percent to 51,662 for the same period. The spread was across all accommodation sectors with hotels recording 16.8 percent, motels 11.4 percent, backpackers 9.5 percent, and holiday parks 20.5 percent increases.

This was ahead of the national results which saw an overall guest night decline of 0.3 percent. Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd said it was pleasing to see a recovery compared to May 2011 when the resort recorded the lowest number of May guest nights since 2004. “Hosting TRENZ, New Zealand’s premier international trade event, for a second year clearly boosted the result and helped our recovery. “With several months of improved year-on-year results now, we appear to be seeing a sustained, if small, rate of growth overall. “On a full year basis we are now almost back on a par with the prior year-end May result. “Domestic visitors have been the driver of this, so we still have a significant challenge to rebuild international visitor numbers which remain 6.3 percent down year-on-year.”

Air New Zealand brings the world to Middle-earth

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Middle Earth (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sids1/4162395354/) by Sids1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/sids1/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand is the official airline of Middle-earth with the announcement of a global two-movie partnership with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, from New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. As part of the two-year partnership, passengers to and from the UK and North America can look forward to flying on two film-branded Boeing 777 aircraft, enjoy a very special edition of the inflight safety video and take part in a wide range of upcoming promotions and experiences. Air New Zealand General Manager Marketing and Communications, Mike Tod, said, “We are excited at the prospect of so many international visitors travelling to Wellington for the 28 November 2012 world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. “New Zealand is clearly established as the home of Middle-earth and Air New Zealand will bring the magic to life for travellers.

“This partnership follows on naturally from the success of Air New Zealand’s relationship with The Lord of the Rings trilogy in raising New Zealand’s profile as an international travel destination. “Similarly, we will be putting millions of dollars of marketing behind the two films based on The Hobbit to promote New Zealand in new and innovative ways across the globe.” Mr Tod confirmed Air New Zealand is working with Weta Workshop to turn a Boeing 777-300 into a flying billboard for the first movie and a Boeing 777-200 for the second movie, and will soon commence filming of a new inflight safety video. “The use of social media has grown exponentially since The Lord of the Rings trilogy and will play a big part in the way we’ll be connecting fans with both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again and destination Middle-earth over the coming two years, including a series of exclusive competitions and unique fan opportunities,” says Mr Tod.

Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures’ President, Worldwide Marketing, says Air New Zealand’s involvement is unique. “Just as Peter Jackson is able to transport audiences to the magical world of Middle-earth, Air New Zealand brings people to the breathtaking landscape that has been home to these epic productions. The promotions planned by Air New Zealand in support of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are both eye-catching and innovative and we look forward to collaborating with them on the campaigns for both films.”

Auckland Airport says aloha to Hawaiian Airlines

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Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodeime/7174270974/) by Roderick Eime (http://www.flickr.com/people/rodeime/), on Flickr

Hawaiian Airlines announced today that they will commence nonstop flights between Auckland and Honolulu, Hawaii, three times weekly from 14th March 2013, becoming the only US carrier to fly to New Zealand. Auckland Airport General Manager Aeronautical Commercial, Glenn Wedlock, said that the announcement opened up a number of terrific opportunities. “This new service will not only help grow the attractive Hawaiian market across a number of islands, but also offers connections to a wide range of great city destinations in the mainland United States and New Zealand. We believe the New Zealand travel industry will welcome more capacity and connections to Hawaii and mainland United States.

“Hawaii is a very popular holiday spot for many kiwis, plus we think that the dual destination combination of Hawaii and New Zealand offers exciting inbound leisure options for mainland United States visitors. Hawaiian is growing, and we look forward to working with the airline and its partners on this new service.” The flights will provide significant new holiday options for Kiwis, increasing opportunities to fly to Honolulu and providing same carrier connections to the neighbour islands of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island, and 11 destinations on the US mainland, including Las Vegas, New York and home of Silicon Valley, San Jose.

“New Zealanders are avid travellers and we believe the introduction of new nonstop flights with our winning brand of service will be welcomed in meeting pent-up demand for a Hawaii vacation,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO. “At the same time, our new service will offer Hawaii residents easy access to the natural wonders and Maori culture of New Zealand.” Hawaiian’s market research indicates that Hawaii is an underserved market for New Zealand, as tourism figures show there are currently 30 percent fewer visitor arrivals coming from New Zealand than in 1999 when more nonstop flights were offered between the two destinations. In addition, New Zealand residents made more than one million trips to the South Pacific and Asia in 2011.

Hawaiian’s new service will add more than 40,000 seats each way annually between Auckland and Honolulu. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler welcomed the announcement as a significant step in improving visitor arrivals from the United States and strengthening relations between the two countries. “The United States is a vital market for New Zealand leisure and business travel, and is a key focus for our marketing efforts given the significant potential for growth that exists. However, convenient air links are critical for converting those considering travel into actual bookings,” Mr Bowler said. “The timing of this new service is ideal as the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will heighten interest in New Zealand and no doubt whet Americans’ appetite for travel here.”

Among the attractions of the gateway island of Oahu are world-famous Waikiki Beach, where surfing was invented, historic Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona memorial, and a vast array of shopping and dining opportunities in Honolulu. The neighbour islands, each served with frequent daily flights by Hawaiian Airlines, offer spectacular natural attractions including the active Kilauea volcano on Hawaii Island, the dormant Haleakala volcano on Maui and Kauai’s rainforests and breath taking Waimea Canyon, known as “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific”. Travellers from New Zealand also have the option to make same carrier connections from Honolulu to a choice of 11 US mainland destinations – Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, San Diego and Phoenix.

Hawaiian Airlines, a full service leisure airline, will operate its New Zealand flights with wide-body Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, seating 264 passengers - 18 in Business Class and 240 in Economy Class. As well, all passengers flying Hawaiian Airlines from New Zealand will be entitled to a free checked baggage allowance of two items, each weighing up to 32 kilograms – one of the most generous checked baggage allowances in the airline industry. Fares and schedule details will be announced by Hawaiian at a later date. Auckland will be the eighth new destination to which Hawaiian has introduced service or announced new service to since November 2010, following Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo (October 30, 2012), Japan; Seoul, South Korea; New York City, and Brisbane, Australia (November 27, 2012).

Martinborough Hotel joins Heritage Boutique Collection

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Martinborough Hotel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23561536@N05/5154594189/) by Rob_57 (http://www.flickr.com/people/23561536@N05/), on Flickr

The Heritage Boutique Collection welcomes The Martinborough Hotel as the eighth property to join the luxury Collection. The Martinborough Hotel was built in 1882 and was fully restored to a five star boutique hotel through a comprehensive refurbishment in 1996. It features colonial architecture and a beautiful Georgian style which exudes elegance and makes it the perfect venue for a leisure break, executive retreat or private wedding. The property is 75 minutes drive east of Wellington’s CBD via the Rimutaka mountain road and is positioned on the square in the charming village of Martinborough. Surrounding are the region’s 24 vineyards, specialising in world renowned pinot noir. “The property being so close to Wellington is an exciting addition and a welcome asset to our rapidly increasing Collection. The hotel will appeal greatly to our high end leisure, conference and wedding market client base,” says Ronnie Ronalde, general manager Heritage Boutique Collection.

The hotel has 16 guest rooms consisting of nine verandah rooms and seven garden rooms. Each suite opens onto either a peaceful balcony or into the rose-filled garden. Facilities include The Martinborough Bar & Grill which provides bistro style dining whilst showcasing local wine including some of the pinot noirs that have put Martinborough on the world wine map. Conference and wedding facilities for up to 60 people are also available, plus, a rose filled garden providing a perfect summer wedding venue. To celebrate joining the Heritage Boutique Collection, The Martinborough Hotel is offering an overnight stay for NZ$155 GST inc. per night including a complimentary bottle of local wine. The special is on until 31 August. Call 06 306 9350 to book. Website www.HeritageBoutique.co.nz

The Heritage Boutique Collection presents an exclusive selection of properties offering charm and sophistication in key New Zealand locations. Every property to join the Heritage Boutique Collection does so by invitation only. The Collection represents the ultimate in hospitality, superior facilities and professional standards promising every guest will feel like 'someone special' staying 'somewhere special.' “We promise our guests the warmest welcome and a truly relaxing stay appealing to all five senses,” adds Ronnie Ronalde. The recently formed Heritage Boutique Collection includes Auckland’s Waitakere Estate, The Waterfront Suites Bay of Islands, Sea Spray Suites Bay of Islands, Tuscany Villas Rotorua, Wellesley Boutique Hotel Wellington in the North Island and Marlborough Vintners Hotel and Akaroa Cottages Banks Peninsula in the South Island. Further properties are soon to be announced.

June tourist arrivals hit 7 year high

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The number of short-term arrivals rose to a seven-year high for the month of June as a flood of Australians and Chinese tourists came to visit last month. Some 151,100 people came to New Zealand for a short-term visit in the month of June, the most for that month since 2005 when the British and Irish Lions toured the nation, Statistics New Zealand said. That was 15 per cent more than in June last year, when flights were cancelled by the Chilean volcanic ash cloud. Annual short-term arrivals rose 5.4 per cent to 2.6 million from a year earlier. The increase was led by a 25 per cent gain in the number of Australian visitors to 64,800, of which 29 per cent were kiwis living across the Ditch, and a 7.4 per cent increase in the number of Chinese tourists to 6,700. ASB Bank economist Daniel Smith said the positive net inflow during June, following on from May's result, suggested a turnaround in net migration flows could be underway. "However, it very much remains to be seen if the very strong permanent arrivals numbers will continue.

The relative performance of the NZ and Australian labour markets will be a key driver over the next year or so, especially as the Christchurch rebuild gains momentum," said Smith. An increase in inflows of migrants would also maintain pressure on the housing market, where issues of limited housing supply were "already starting to bite." The New Zealand tourism industry would be pleased with the stabilisation in visitor arrivals numbers this year, with June result particularly strong, said Smith. New Zealand would need to focus on courting visitors from Asia and Australia as arrivals from the UK and Europe continued to dry up. The figures come after national carrier Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe this week told MPs not enough is being done to promote the country as an attractive destination. The tourism sector has been in the doldrums since the global financial crisis in 2008, when financial markets collapsed and oil prices surged, causing widespread unemployment and eroding people's discretionary spending on long-haul travel.

Australian visitors flock here in record numbers

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Auckland International Airport, which is targeting Asian arrivals to stoke growth over the next decade, flagged an 11% increase in international arrivals in June over the same month last year. The rise was so large because of the Chilean ash cloud that caused flight cancellations in June 2011. The latest monthly update completes a full 12 months of AIA's financial year, in which it processed more than seven million international passengers, excluding transits, for the first time. China and Australia led the growth, with the 66,098 increase in the number of Australian visitors in the 12 months to June 30 "the largest increase in visitors from a single country".

A total of 715,115 Australians passed through AIA over the 12 months, compared to 649,017 the previous year. For the June month, total international passenger movements, stripping out transits, totalled 536,297 in June from the same month a year earlier, the airport said in a statement. That was led by a 40.1% surge in Chinese arrivals to 9691 and a 20.3% jump in Australian arrivals to 50,041. Domestic passenger movements rose 14.6% to 503,832 in June from the same month a year earlier. There was strong domestic growth across the whole group, with Queenstown Airport, of which Auckland Airport owns quarter, rising 52.4% to 11,525.

You've got to love the Air NZ Kiwi Sceptics Campaign ... and the ignorance so prevalent across the ditch ;) The video is WOW

Australian Lara Bingle is Air NZ’s latest Kiwi Sceptic

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Air New Zealand has unveiled the latest instalment of its award winning ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ campaign featuring Australian model Lara Bingle teaming up with Kiwi TV host and champion snowboarder Hayley Holt to experience the best of Queenstown. ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ is aimed at changing the perceptions of Aussies who never get around to crossing the ditch. Research shows that each year more than five million Australians seriously consider New Zealand as a destination but only one in five actually makes the trip. The campaign recently won a bronze Lion at Cannes in the branded content, non-fiction category. Self confessed Kiwi Sceptic, Lara Bingle is typical of four out of five Australians who say they’ve always intended to visit New Zealand but never got around to it. “If someone had asked me about New Zealand before the trip I would have said it was just off my radar.

Now, my attitude has completely changed. I fell in love with New Zealand. I would love to be living the laid back New Zealand lifestyle. I really got an opportunity to live the dream during my time in Queenstown.” While in Queenstown, Hayley gave Lara an experience that would have impressed the most sceptical of Aussie snow lovers. The pair went snowboarding on Coronet Peak including a breathtaking helicopter ride to the back bowls of Wanaka where they were left with nothing but untouched powder and their boards for the exhilarating journey down to the base. Lara then spent the night on The Remarkables, sleeping in a snow cave up the mountain. There was plenty of après ski activity. Lara sampled some of the best of Queenstown’s food and wine at eateries such as Botswana Butchery and The Bunker, and played a few games of pool at the local Zephyr Bar. Throughout Lara’s journey, Air New Zealand challenged her misconceptions head-on, transforming her from a Kiwi Sceptic to a lover of all things NZ.

Everyone’s favourite Kiwi and star of Flight of the Conchords, Rhys Darby, narrates the journey adding his own flavour and wit to the script. Kelly Millier, Air New Zealand’s Marketing Manager Australia explains, “Our ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ series gives Australians new reasons to visit this great land of ours. The first four episodes have been well-received and are doing a good job of getting more Aussie bums on Air New Zealand seats. We reckon that Lara’s daredevil nature, Hayley’s down-to-earth Kiwi charm and the breathtaking scenery in this winter edition, will encourage even more Aussies to visit over the coming year.” The Kiwi Sceptics Winter Edition and all the Kiwi Sceptics episodes can be watched at www.kiwisceptics.com . Lara’s Queenstown trip will also feature in her Australian reality TV show, Being Lara Bingle.

You've got to love the Air NZ Kiwi Sceptics Campaign ... and the ignorance so prevalent across the ditch ;) The video is WOW

Australian Lara Bingle is Air NZ’s latest Kiwi Sceptic

52_7BlQuZe8


Youve got to love the genius behind this, getting the lady who became famous as the face of Aussie tourism..

What ignorance do you speak of?

Youve got to love the genius behind this, getting the lady who became famous as the face of Aussie tourism..

What ignorance do you speak of?

It is very clever :) Watch all the videos and hear what they have to say about NZ (always in the intro) ... Lara Bingle is already getting flack in the local media for her "NZ is not part of the World" comments right at the beginning of the video. The good thing is that they are all rather brought down to size by the end of the video :cheers:

Episode 1 | Aussie Aussie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V32jyVFuHRk&feature=player_embedded#!) ..... when asked why he hasn't come to NZ ... "They don't even want to live there man, they want to come here". Very upset when hears that he is going to NZ.

Episode 2 | The Hipster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDtlZao_YGg&feature=player_embedded#!) ..... when asked why he hasn't come to NZ ... " I don't snowboard or ski, I can't do much with the snow ..... not a hobbit, we are all into the dubstep here" .... well I would consider his views of our "limited range" as very ignorant. And so it continues in the next two ...

Episode 3 | Bali Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O6PnL2JMq0&feature=player_embedded#!) ... NZ is only for old people

Episode 4 | Europhile (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7vESafzwLU&feature=player_embedded) ... I wonder why they didn't take her to Hawke's Bay | Napier as well ?

New Zealand snow season gets in full swing!Winter in New Zealand is now in full swing with good conditions
at many resorts and lots of events to look forward to.

“The conditions on the mountains, even prior to the new snow, have been remarkable given the limited natural snow we’ve received,” said Lake Wanaka Tourism’s James Helmore. “A combination of man-made snow and cold temperatures have allowed the resorts to keep their trails in exceptional condition and yesterday’s new snow was a perfect top up". There is fresh morning corduroy to be found across groomed trails on all four mountains (Cardrona, Snow Park, Snow Farm and Treble Cone).

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Parks at both Cardrona and Snow Park are all riding well. The quarter pipe at Snow Park opened last week and the Olympic spec halfpipe at Cardrona is under construction now in preparation for the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Ski Halfpipe World Cups this month. Treble Cone has had excellent skiing on and off piste particularly in the Saddle Basin and off the Summit. The recent snow on Monday has added another 25 cm of coverage and some great fresh lines, while Cardrona has recently opened its new black diamond trail, ‘Powderkeg’, a 1.2km trail located in the Arcadia Valley.

Night Skiing at Coronet Peak resumed last this Friday, after being put on hold last week. “It’s been great to see a return to more normal conditions this week. Temperatures have come down again and we have been able to get the snow guns on” said Coronet Peak Ski Area Manager Hamish McCrostie. Snow Park NZ has 100% coverage with the ability to make snow across all of their terrain. Their popular night skiing run is in peak condition, running three nights a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The trails at Snow Farm have been sensational later in the day with the colder temperatures at night allowing for excellent cross-country skiing conditions. And, as always, the 360-degree views are breath taking.

Over at the remarkable the Ladies Freestyle snowboard camp was a huge success with 55 riders signed up for the day. The action packed day started with transport for everyone up the mountain. After meeting their coaches and group for the day ahead, it was time to hit the freshly groomed mountain and immaculately prepared park thanks to the efforts of the Terrain Park Department.

For some it was their first time in the park, for others it was about taking their skiing or riding ability to the next level, After the morning shred session already full of newly dialed tricks, the girls headed back down the hill for a BBQ lunch laid on by Red Bull. However, it wasn’t long before each and every group was raring to go for the afternoon, which for some meant stepping up their skiing and riding by hitting some bigger lines in the park.

Megan Burke, NZSki’s Event Coordinator was thrilled with how the day went. “It was awesome to see so many girls dominating the parks. We had a record number of participants and it was great to see the girls trying new things and gaining more confidence.”

A second and last camp of the season will be taking place on 8th September. The camps cost $120 and can be booked through the Snow Centre in Queenstown or at Remarkables Guest Services. Alternatively, visit www.nzski.com/parklife for a registration form.

Over on the North Island the resorts of Whakapapa and Turoa are also attracting female riders with the launch of their ladies weeks which run each week Monday to Thursday with Friday as a contingency day. A 4 day programme by women for women allows you to improve your skiing and riding skills from a female specific perspective. Meet other ski /snowboarding women, & receive great retail discounts.

The programme consists of 4 hours per day group coaching with top female instructors. Group will consist of ladies of similar skiing/snowboarding ability. More information can be found on: http://www.mtruapehu.com/winter/ladies_weeks/

Further events happening include The World Heli Challenge, the first of many international competitions on Wanaka’s winter calendar, which kicked off this week, bringing its own breed of legendary skiers and snowboarders to the region. Other international events include the Burton High Fives, The North Face Freeski Open and the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle World Cups (the first qualifying events for the 2014 Winter Olympics).

It is very clever :) Watch all the videos and hear what they have to say about NZ (always in the intro) ... Lara Bingle is already getting flack in the local media for her "NZ is not part of the World" comments right at the beginning of the video. The good thing is that they are all rather brought down to size by the end of the video :cheers:

Episode 2 | The Hipster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDtlZao_YGg&feature=player_embedded#!)
I thought the Aussie hipster wasn't far from a regular guy you see around town - just with some more hipsterish interests. He might've had an even better time if they weren't trying to out-hipster him and paired him with a less weirdo-uber-hipster type.

Air NZ doubles charter flights from Japan

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Air New Zealand A320 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53161794@N06/5010706300/) by Suzuki san (http://www.flickr.com/people/53161794@N06/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand will double the number of charter flights between Japan and New Zealand this summer as it expects a fresh increase in visitor numbers. Fourteen flights will operate from seven Japanese cities. Six will fly into Christchurch from Nagoya and the rest into Auckland from Kagoshima, Hiroshima, Takamatsu and Shizuoka. The airline expects its charter programme, which operates on top of its regular services in Tokyo and Osaka, will bring in an extra 3200 tourists. "Christchurch is a hugely appealing destination for Japanese visitors and we anticipate these charter services will be a welcome boost to South Island tourism over summer," Air New Zealand's Japan general manager Ed Overy says.

The airline is also increasing its capacity from Tokyo by 20%. Japan is New Zealand's fifth largest source of visitors but the market has struggled to recover from the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler says the extra capacity over summer shows the market is recovering. "The quality of the Japanese market has long been important to the New Zealand tourism industry, and this charter programme provides a great opportunity to deliver more high value customers from Japan."

"Queenstown tourism sector flat"

Tourism in Queenstown has been flat for years, industry representatives were told last night.

Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said industry growth had been muted since 2005.

Speaking at a members' quarterly update, he said while visitor numbers were up last year as a result of the Rugby World Cup, the overall picture for the southern resort town was sobering.

Nationally, visits by Australian tourists grew 3 per cent between 2008 and this year, while visits by Chinese tourists increased by 32 per cent. The number of visits by Malaysian tourists jumped 44 per cent.

In Queenstown, more than twice as many international visitors arrived in the resort compared to domestic tourists.

"We have a lot of day visitors, regional day visitors from Southland who come in for the day and don't spent a night here."

Fewer people were staying in the resort but the visitors who did stay were staying longer, the good news in the overall picture of declining visitor numbers, Mr Budd said.

China Airlines boosts Taipei services

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China Airlines Boeing 747-400 B-18207 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92009354@N00/6916336113/) by jbp274 (http://www.flickr.com/people/92009354@N00/), on Flickr

Taiwan's China Airlines is boosting services from New Zealand to Taipei via Sydney. The airline will fly the route four times a week in addition to its three times a week service to Taipei via Brisbane. The new Sydney service starts on October 28 and will use an A330-300 aircraft with a total of 307 seats. Auckland Airport general manager aeronautical commercial, Glenn Wedlock, said the announcement marked a significant step towards stronger trade and tourism links between Taiwan and New Zealand and will deliver opportunities for growth from a number of markets this year. "We have been working on a number of development programmes in Taiwan and wider Asia as part of our Ambition 2020 initiative. The new services with China Airlines will help deliver on some key targets and drive in excess of $50 million in tourism and trade benefit for New Zealand."

China Airlines, founded in 1959, flies to 28 countries waround the world. Today's announcement follows Hawaiian Airlines' decision to fly from Auckland to Honolulu from next March and Indonesia's Garuda commitment to restart flights when market conditions allow. Air New Zealand said it will boost capacity on direct services between Auckland and Queenstown by 32 per cent this summer, including the addition of a fifth daily flight, giving travellers a choice of direct services approximately every two hours. The increased capacity will take the total number of seats available on direct services over summer to 5200 each way per week. The airline said additional flights are expected to be available for booking from later next week, with four services per day in November (up from three) and five per day from December to the end of March. As well as the extra flights this summer, additional capacity is also coming through increased use of larger A320 aircraft on some existing services replacing Boeing 737 aircraft.

Surge in Chinese tourists to NZ

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... a resting breeze.... Twizel, New Zealand .... [Explored #22] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosieruffles/6095990646/) by Rosie Ruffles (http://www.flickr.com/people/rosieruffles/), on Flickr

China has surged ahead of the United States and is on the verge of becoming New Zealand's second-biggest tourist market, according to the latest International Visitor Survey. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's survey showed tourism spending was $5.6 billion for the year ending June 2012. This was flat on the previous year's total spend of $5.5 billion, despite visitor numbers having risen 5 per cent to 2.6 million. One standout in the survey was China, said the Ministry's tourism research and evaluation manager Peter Ellis. "If it weren't for the Rugby World Cup in this period we would have seen a decrease in total visitor spend of well over $200 million. "However, expenditure from Chinese visitors increased by 27 per cent to $522 million. "China is now our third-largest tourist market and just shy of the $568 million spent by visitors from the UK." China had already overtaken Germany and the United States and will soon become our second-largest visitor market, behind Australia, Ellis said. The number of Australian visitors to New Zealand increased 6 per cent to 1.17 million but spending stayed flat at $1.6 billion. Each tourist spent an average of 19.4 days in the country, down from 20.1 days in the year ended June 2011. The average expenditure was $2300. The International Visitor Survey is based on interviews with 5200 tourists per year departing from New Zealand airports.

Count down to 100% Middle-earth

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With just three months to go until the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington, Tourism New Zealand has been working to ensure New Zealand benefits from the increase in international attention. A creative theme for all activity, Fantasy is Reality has been confirmed to ensure there is a strong connection between the films and New Zealand. Key international media and opinion leader targets have been identified. Advertising schedules are locked in. Broadcast footage, captured. "One of our most exciting milestones will be reached in late August when the new 100% Pure New Zealand campaign will get its first public airing, drawing together the themes '100% Pure' and '100% Middle Earth'" says Chief Executive Kevin Bowler. "Our new advertisement will be placed on TV, cinema and on-line, and new pages and imagery will go live on newzealand.com. "This will be the first screening of the latest evolution of the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign and we are pretty excited about it," he says. Tourism New Zealand is already well underway with its activity to convert the international attention New Zealand will draw from the movies, into travel. Kevin says, "International media attention surrounding the films has been growing over the past few months and we have already hosted a number of journalists who are writing specifically about New Zealand as the location for the films.

"We have Hobbit-specific pages on our corporate website, and images on our image library, providing a hub for all the news and information people may need. "Consumers visiting newzealand.com will already find a "Home of Middle-earth" section offering a range of experiences and products that are based around the filming of The Lord of the Rings. "We were also thrilled to be a part of the Weta booth at Comic Con in the middle of July, working alongside Air New Zealand, Hobbiton and Film New Zealand to promote New Zealand, to those who attended the exhibition." Comic Con is now regarded as the largest comic book and popular arts convention in the world with around 130,000 people attending. "As we work to leverage The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back again, we will connect the landscapes of Middle-earth with the experiences of New Zealand. "Through our marketing activity we will show how easy it is to come here, see Middle-earth first-hand, and enjoy all the exciting and fun experiences New Zealand has to offer," he says.

NZ guest nights rise in June, snapping 5 months of declines

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100% pure New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonell/3895005757/) by nonell (http://www.flickr.com/people/nonell/), on Flickr

New Zealand guest nights rose in June, snapping five months of declines, led by an increase in domestic guest nights. Total guest nights rose 4 percent to 1.8 million in June from the same month a year earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. The rise came from an 8.8 percent gain in domestic guest nights to 1.7 million, while international guest nights rose 3.9 percent to 1 million. "Domestic guest nights drove the overall increase, with international guest nights rising to a lesser extent," Blair Cardno, industry and labour statistics manager, said in a statement. "Most of the national rise occurred in the North Island, particularly in Auckland, with hotels showing a strong increase."

North Island guest nights rose 4.5 percent compared to June last year, led by a 12.9 percent increase in Auckland to 401,000 nights. Guest nights in the South Island rose by 3.4 percent to 611,000. The trend remains "relatively flat" in the South Island largely due to last year's Canterbury earthquake, the government department said. Guest nights rose across all accommodation types, led by an 8.2 percent increase in hotels to 976,000 compared to a month earlier. The number of nights spent at hotels has increased 5.3 percent since a recent low point in December. Nationally, the number of nights spent in motels rose 4.8 percent to 917,000, holiday parks increased 2.5 percent to 543,000 and backpacker accommodation advanced 0.5 percent to 343,000.

Queenstown enjoys strong start to winter

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Queenstown’s June visitor numbers showed a strong start to winter according to Statistics New Zealand figures released today (10 August). The Commercial Accommodation Monitor for June 2012 showed overall guest nights up 19.3 percent to 143,063 compared with June 2011. International guest nights were up 12.9 percent to 82,579, accounting for 57.7 percent of all guest nights in the Queenstown area, and domestic guest nights increased 29.3 percent to 60,484 for the same period. Hotels and motels/apartments were the key sectors to benefit, showing a strong increase of 22 percent in visitor nights. Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd said overall it was a very pleasing result. “We had a good strong start to winter and it’s great to see increases in both international and Kiwi visitors. These figures also align closely with increases in both domestic and international airport arrivals for June. “Remembering that in 2011 we also had travel disruptions from the Chilean volcanic ash and low early snowfall, it’s good to see a continued recovery in 2012.”

:lol: I love the "drag race" ... stunning video.

Chinese market to find out about Queenstown ‘first hand’

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Queenstown (http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter-moore/4923925633/) by peter-moore (http://www.flickr.com/people/peter-moore/), on Flickr

An online video (http://www.newzealand.com/cn/campaign/first-hand/?utm_source=Press%20Releases&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Media%20release%20%20Chinese%20market%20to%20find%20out%20about%20Queenstown%20first%20hand) series showcasing Queenstown and its seasons will target hundreds of thousands of Chinese-speaking users through China’s biggest social media platform. The six-part ‘Xie Hou Xin Xilan First Hand’ series, sponsored by Destination Queenstown, Tourism New Zealand and Auckland International Airport, is being produced by Queenstown locals Shuangji (Ji) Zhou, Trent Yeo and James Holman and hosted on newzealand.com. It is believed to be the first seasonal destination video about New Zealand produced directly for the Chinese online viewer.

The episodes, delivered in both Mandarin and English with subtitles, will harness the popularity and tools of the Sina Weibo network, described as a combination of Facebook and Twitter - neither of which are used in mainland China. Co-producer Trent Yeo said the video series was created to specifically encourage online conversations about Queenstown with Chinese-speaking people throughout the world. “Our aim is to encourage potential visitors to both New Zealand and Queenstown through compelling imagery and stories, showing them ‘First Hand’ that we’re an aspirational destination that’s appealing, accessible and welcoming. “Because of its popularity, Weibo is the best way to effectively reach this market. Its rich capabilities mean travellers can communicate easily from anywhere in the world and its range of features have enabled us to do some cool things like using it to pinpoint Chinese visitors in Queenstown to interview for our series.”

The ‘First Hand’ concept was developed by Ji Zhou, a Chinese ex-pat and local tourism consultant. “First Hand is based on a unique understanding of New Zealand as a destination but, more importantly, conveying the cultural drivers and nuances of the Chinese tourist, all of which have been captured beautifully by our cameraman James Holman,” he said. “We want to ‘open a window’ to what we offer here, remove travel barriers and get people excited.” Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd is very enthusiastic about the new ‘First Hand’ initiative. “China is an important emerging market for Queenstown, and First Hand is an innovative way of communicating and inspiring millions of potential Chinese speaking travellers,” he said. “To have a unique showcase of our destination which is produced by people who live here, love Queenstown and understand this audience is invaluable.”

Check out Episode One, which gives an introduction to Queenstown and showcases its annual Winter Festival, at http://www.newzealand.com/cn/campaign/first-hand/.

Backpackers are tourism's backbone

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The New Zealand economy has a lot to thank young backpackers and travellers for. The 15-29 age group is not only growing, but outperforming the rest of our visitor market. A market prioritisation study by Tourism New Zealand two years ago identified youth as a key segment. It found that while young people made up a quarter of visitors to New Zealand, they accounted for a third of total international tourism expenditure. Of the total tourism spend of $5.6 billion in the year to June, $1.8b came from the younger set. Tourism NZ wants to keep it that way and will shortly launch the next step of a global campaign it kicked off a year ago. The prospects are tantalising. While younger visitors may not spend as much per day as other visitors, they stay much longer and so spend more per trip.

The latest visitor survey and international travel and migration data shows young tourists spend an average $2877 each trip compared with the average spend of all tourists of $2360. Younger travellers stayed in New Zealand for an average 25.3 days, much longer than other holidaymakers who stayed an average 16.1 days. The youth segment was important in a number of other ways, Tourism NZ spokesman Justin Watson, explained. “It's a sizeable market and it's also a really attractive market. “They tend to trip around the country a lot more, so they help spread tourism business around the whole country.” As a consequence these travellers are also more likely to return in later life, possibly for education, a holiday or family trip. “They also help to fill seasonal employment through the working holiday scheme.”

Two years ago the picture wasn't so rosy. The shine was coming off New Zealand as a tourist destination, said Watson. “Our youth numbers were in decline prior to the campaign launch and now the market will end 5 per cent up, which is about in line with our total arrivals.” Closer scrutiny reveals the country's key youth markets - Australia, Germany and Britain - have grown ahead of the total arrivals figures. Young travellers out of Australia for the year to June are up 9 per cent against that market's overall 5.8 per cent rise. The young German market is up 3 per cent compared with a drop of 3.4 per cent in German visitors overall. The youth market out of Britain is down 1 per cent but still ahead of total visitor arrivals from there which are down 2.5 per cent. Tourism NZ said its campaign, called Stories Beat Stuff, is working. In October it moves into its third and final phase. Launched a year ago, it worked off the premise that nothing beats an experience of a lifetime. It challenged entrants to give up a prized possession for a chance to win six “lifetime experiences” for small groups.

It received 350 entries and 4500 votes from the main target markets of Germany, Britain, the United States, Australia and Canada. Of the 2.62 million visitor arrivals to New Zealand in the year to June, 607,300 were young people. This important segment accounts for a third of the international tourism spend here. They stay longer than other visitors and spend more too. Leo Carneiro, from Brazil, is staying at Base Backpackers in downtown Auckland. He is learning English and chose New Zealand as it was accessible. “It's a beautiful country too.” He is here for two months and will also visit Christchurch. Cas Kleverlaan from Holland has been here six weeks and will likely stay another two months. He plans to go to Wellington and Queenstown. Briton Joe Whittaker will spend four months working here. “I wanted to come to a beautiful country [and] because of Lord of the Rings,” he said.

Year-On-Year International Arrivals Growth Maintained

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Mitre Peak, Fiordland, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/getoutdoors/5121533742/) by *amy&kimball (http://www.flickr.com/people/getoutdoors/), on Flickr

Growth in international visitor arrivals has again been maintained with 2.63 million arrivals seeing total arrivals increase by 5.6 per cent for the year-ending July 2012. Commenting on the results, Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the increase shows the industry’s resilience during what is traditionally a low season. “While total arrivals for the month of July 2012 were down 1.4 per cent, there continues to be positive indicators from key markets with arrivals from China up 24.9 per cent and Australia up 0.4 per cent.” Tourism New Zealand’s strategy continues to be focused on growing total visitor stay days. Over 50.6 million stay days were generated by international arrivals, an increase of 1.2 per cent against the same year prior. “With over 12 million stay days, Australian visitors accounted for 24 per cent of total stay days in the last year. As the largest single proportion of total stay days, this reiterates the importance of this market to the New Zealand tourism industry.”

“It is also encouraging to see Japanese visitor arrivals up for the month signifying a recovery in that market.” For July 2012 Japanese arrivals totaled 6,048, fractionally down against the 6,480 arrivals in July 2010, which was prior to the significant decline in Japanese arrivals which followed Christchurch and Japan’s earthquakes early last year. Traditional long-haul markets continue to be a challenge with total arrivals from the US down 2.3 per cent, and the UK down 2.8 per cent for the year. Research conducted by Tourism New Zealand in Germany shows concern about the Eurozone economic crisis is impacting on preference for a holiday in New Zealand.* “The research shows that as a result of the current uncertainty, many international travellers are looking for less expensive holidays and options that are closer to home, weakening demand for long-haul holidays to destination such as New Zealand."

NZ Tourism targets Indian honeymooners

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Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), Rotorua New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/spencermiles/3547104281/) by Spencer Miles (http://www.flickr.com/people/spencermiles/), on Flickr

New Zealand Tourism has launched a major campaign in India encouraging honeymooners to 'Discover 100 per cent Pure Romance'. In a joint venture campaign with Singapore Airlines, Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) had rolled out print, radio and online advertisements across India targeting the honeymoon market. Honeymoon was a growing sector of travel outbound from India, said Mischa Mannix-Opie, TNZ South and South-East Asia regional manager. New Zealand was a key destination for Indian honeymooners as it offered a more temperate climate for the honeymoon season while Europe was getting cooler as it headed into winter, she said. "Ultimately the aim with our programme of activity is to deepen Indian consumers' understanding of how New Zealand can deliver the ultimate honeymoon or couples holiday. "By increasing their awareness and preference of New Zealand it is our intention to create a stronger result in our campaign activity." Indian honeymooners typically travelled in November following the Diwali Festival.

"Honeymoon visitors from India have continued to grow arrivals during November and December," said Mannix-Opie. Research showed that 56 per cent of Indian visitors aged between 25-34 years came to New Zealand for a honeymoon, she said. Indian holiday arrivals aged 25-34 years represented 30 per cent of the Indian holiday market, which accounted for 14,080 arrivals in the 12 months to July 2012. Indian visitor arrivals to New Zealand contributed about $74 million last year. The 100 per cent Pure Romance campaign did not include activity or accommodation packages but drove consumers to newzealand.com, which provideed information about honeymoon-specific experiences and connected them with operators and travel sellers. The campaign targeted specific locations in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. A media function was held in New Delhi and Mumbai last week aimed at deepening the Indian media's understanding of New Zealand honeymoon experiences.

Representatives from key Indian travel companies met with New Zealand tourism in the four-day event. According to the TNZ, India had been highlighted as a key market because "high disposable incomes and a willingness to spend on luxury brands and big-ticket items like holidays, as well as an increasingly global mindset, are driving outbound travel from this market". Figures for the year ended June 2012 showed a total of 29,648 visitors arrived in New Zealand from India, a 1.1 per cent increase on the previous year. This compared to 23,328 Indian visitors in 2008. The honeymoon campaign came on the heels of another launched by Tourism New Zealand last week called 'Experience 100 per cent Pure New Zealand luxury', targeting high-end travellers from Singapore.

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PR0_1959 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/excitedrainbow/5580422505/) by excitedrainbow (http://www.flickr.com/people/excitedrainbow/), on Flickr[/CENTER]

:drool:

Pure adverts have a new Ring to them

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888431850/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

A scent of Middle-earth is being used to lure more foreign tourists to New Zealand, but you won't see any Hobbits in Tourism New Zealand's new $10 million advertising campaign. The refreshed version of the 12-year-old “100 per cent Pure” campaign is done in the movie style of Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It will start screening overseas in the lead-up to the first Hobbit movie, due to open at a premiere in Wellington at the end of November. The ad is expected to run for a couple of years and will appear on thousands of screens in Australia, Japan, China, Britain and Germany, not including more than 1000 screens in the United States. Instead of showing grand but empty landscapes of past "100 per cent Pure" ads, the advert scenes all feature people out doing something - tramping the hills, tasting wine, enjoying the coastline.

The kicker at the end of the advert is a round Hobbit-hole door closing at the Hobbiton set - but that is as far as it goes as a direct visual reference to the movies. While just 1 per cent of tourists in past surveys said they came to New Zealand specifically because of the Lord of the Rings films, 6 per cent said it was a main reason. So the Hobbit-themed ads could help bring many more visitors next year, Tourism NZ said. The Hobbit films, if they achieve the same success of the Rings trilogy, could be seen by hundreds of millions of people. The Hobbit book has sold more than 100 million copies around the world. Tourism NZ plans to get the new adverts running at cinemas showing the Hobbit films in key markets around the world, such as Australia from this weekend, and later in the United States. Target markets for the adverts include China, a rapidly growing source of tourists for New Zealand.

However, Lord of the Rings was hardly a smash movie there. The Return of the King had box office sales of just US$10m in China, about the same as Switzerland, and a tiny fraction of the total foreign gross of more than US$742m, excluding the United States. But Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler is confident the Middle-earth style adverts will work in China and other markets, because it was a “global phenomenon” that would cut across cultures, including in China. “As Lord of the Rings was in Japan," he said. Tourism NZ expected a big audience for the Hobbit films in China, but stressed its adverts were about New Zealand, not the movie. “It is not an ad to promote Hobbits - there are no Hobbits in it. It is a continuation of our 100 per cent Pure campaign,” Mr Bowler said.

100% Middle-earth 100% Pure New Zealand

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AUCKLAND TOURISM PROMO

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Auckland campaign seeks to draw Kiwi tourists

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Auckland tourism chiefs are hoping to fill empty hotel beds with an $800,000 campaign to attract other New Zealanders to the city. The Auckland ratepayer-funded campaign, which began yesterday, targets potential visitors in Waikato, Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Canterbury and promotes Auckland as a diverse, vibrant place. Research found some people still saw Auckland as an unwelcoming, hostile and snooty city. Hotel occupancy is running at 60 per cent and Ateed, the city council's tourism and events subsidiary, wants to increase that to about 80 per cent. Tourism Industry Association chief executive Martin Snedden said domestic tourism was worth about $13 billion - 60 per cent of all tourism revenue - and deserved more focus. "That is incredibly important to the sustainability of tourism; while we have a lot of businesses that deal with international tourism, a lot of them get their bread and butter from domestic tourism. They can't afford to do without it," he said.

"If you talk to Government, not surprisingly they're interested in new international money but I would have thought there would be room for them to be thinking about the domestic part of the market." Australia and Britain had large domestic marketing campaigns, Snedden said. Ateed's chief executive, Brett O'Riley, said the television advertising campaign outside Auckland would run over the next two months and online promotion would run longer. "With transtasman airfares as low as they are, we've deliberately pitched Auckland as an international destination so all the things you can enjoy in an international city can be enjoyed in Auckland - and you can drive here." The campaign was launched after focus group research and an online survey of 1000 people. Ateed hopes to increase the value of Auckland's domestic tourism sector from $1.36 billion in 2010 to $2 billion annually by 2021.

Many enjoy Queenstown's Gay Ski Week

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25 AUG 12 16°C BLEDISLOE CUP (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7859867964/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Gay Ski Week Queenstown organisers say the event attracted more than 1000 visitors to the resort during the week and most have promised to come back in 2013. Sally and Mandy Whitewoods took on the event completely for the first time this year. Sally said the couple proved themselves as organisers, as feedback on the event had been "nothing but positive" from those taking part and those watching. "It's been brilliant, it's been amazing. I'm knackered and my voice is fading. "It has been an incredible week," Sally Whitewoods said. The week was well-supported by both locals and visitors from the gay community. "Everyone really enjoyed it and everyone I have spoken to has said they will be back next year. It's only going to get bigger and better from here. "I think Queenstown has really enjoyed it. You wouldn't want to have it anywhere else," she said. "We've pretty much got most of next year organised, but we won't say too much just yet." While numbers were not official, as many came to Queenstown for atmosphere without partaking in official events, Mrs Whitewoods was positive they had met their quota of 1000-plus visitors. "We were aiming for a 1000, and I think we easily got that. The two parties, both opening and closing, were sold out on the night, and they're all coming back. There wasn't one low in the whole week." She planned to change a few 2013 Gay Ski Week events to keep things "fresh". She would be open to ideas from the public. This year, on top of skiing and boarding every day at Cardrona, guests took part in a Rocky Horror night at Dorothy Brown's Cinema, Arrowtown, a winery tour, enjoyed an "Adrenaline Day", attended the Casino Royale gala evening at Skyline and last night sang karaoke.

Wellington as China will see it

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WELLINGTON 21 JAN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5387079762/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Wellington's best qualities will be broadcast to more than 100 million viewers next month in a Chinese documentary that could lead to a significant boost in tourism spending. A six-person camera crew from China's third largest TV company, Zhejiang International Group, filmed on Lambton Quay and at the top of the Cable Car yesterday, after taping on Cuba Mall last night. The documentary, with the working title Beautiful Wellington, will be broadcast in Chinese and English during prime time in 56 countries. The number of Chinese visitors to New Zealand grew by a third in the past year to nearly 180,000, spending an average $3200 each during a average 17-day stay. The documentary came about from a conversation council economic portfolio leader Jo Coughlan had over dinner with a television company executive during the mayoral delegation to China in May. She said it had enormous potential for the city's tourism and education sectors.

"The documentary will show millions of Chinese what New Zealand is like, in particular Wellington, and hopefully generate interest in studying, working or visiting here." The film crew was up at 5am yesterday to get a bird's-eye view of Wellington from the top of Mt Victoria at sunrise before visiting the Settlers Museum at Petone, coffee roasting at Cafe L'affare, Moore Wilson Fresh gourmet grocer, the Botanic Gardens and Te Papa. Zhjiang International producer Shirley Cheng said the crew loved what they saw in Wellington and were considering extending the 10 minutes allocated for the documentary to 15 or 20 minutes. "The history of this country at the Settlers Museum impressed us. The documentary will combine that with Wellington's great tourist attractions, showing the history and scenic spots." Cheng said tourists from China would enjoy Wellington for its clean air, weather and "tasty" food. The camera crew had been enamoured with the style of food prepared at award-winning Cuba St restaurant Logan Brown.

"We loved seeing how they cook. Those foods we cannot usually taste in China. If Chinese people are looking for a place to visit we will choose Wellington because we can visit great natural [scenes] and also taste great food." Positively Wellington Tourism general marketing manager Sarah Meikle said any kind of television exposure was extremely valuable to the city. "China is a really important market for the whole of New Zealand and it is growing at a very fast rate," she said. "Wellington has been quite a popular business tourism destination for Chinese. "One of the things we are very focused on is ensuring our tourism attractions and hotels are ready and understand the market and conversely that Chinese operators who sell New Zealand - and Wellington as part of those itineraries - know what products are on offer and suitable for their clientele."

AT A GLANCE

China is New Zealand's third largest tourism market.

Chinese visitors in the year till July were up 33.5 per cent at 177,904.

Typical length of stay is 17 days.

Average spend up 27 per cent last year to $3200 a visit.

China Southern Airlines flies daily to Auckland.

Air New Zealand flies five times a week to Shanghai.

New Zealand was the first destination the Chinese government granted Approved Destination Status in 1999.

Beaches of Northland:

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Blanket Bay Voted New Zealand’s No. 1 Luxury Lodge (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00284/blanket-bay-voted-new-zealands-no-1-luxury-lodge.htm)

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Blanket Bay Lodge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodeime/7956676422/) by Roderick Eime (http://www.flickr.com/people/rodeime/), on Flickr

Blanket Bay continues to retain its international ranking as New Zealand’s top lodge with prestigious USA-based Hideaways International naming Blanket Bay the Number 1 lodge in New Zealand, and Number 6 in the world, within its annual 2012 Readers Survey. “There is no better testament to a lodge’s consistent standards than travellers themselves voting a property at the top of their list. We are frequently voted amongst the world’s best, and such continued recognition is vital in maintaining our premier reputation as region’s best alpine escape – a reputation that our dedicated staff constantly strive for,” said Philip Jenkins, Blanket Bay’s longstanding General Manager. This year Blanket Bay was also named Best Overseas Boutique Property, Villa or Lodge within the Gold List compiled by the readers of Australia’s Luxury Travel magazine. In 2011 Blanket Bay won the HM Award for Best New Zealand Lodge and additionally was named one of the best 10 hotel views in the world by influential Forbes.com. Condé Nast Traveler’s 2010 Gold List ranked Blanket Bay as the second-highest scoring property in the world.

“Sure it’s our superlative facilities and incredible location that attracts discerning travellers, but in fact what sets Blanket Bay apart is our team’s ceaseless search for excellence. Just last month Kate Florence, one of our young chefs, claimed the prestigious New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year title for 2012, the third time it has gone to Blanket Bay,” said Mr Jenkins. “Needless to say Blanket Bay’s extraordinary cuisine is a much-cherished feature of any guest’s stay. “With prolonged economic turmoil engulfing traditional long haul markets, these frequent awards endorse Blanket Bay’s continued reputation as one of New Zealand’s finest tourism products and ensures our continued market share out of the dwindling European and North American markets. “Australians however now represent a much higher percentage of our guests as increased Australian recognition for the property, a strong Australian dollar and easy Queenstown access from east coast Australia makes an exclusive alpine escape at Blanket Bay even more attractive.”

InterContinental Wellington Concierge Top of the Game (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00282/intercontinental-wellington-concierge-top-of-the-game.htm)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6093/6233443454_1286768891_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ediyang/6233443454/)
Wellington City (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ediyang/6233443454/) by Edi Go (http://www.flickr.com/people/ediyang/), on Flickr

It has turned into a stellar year for one Wellingtonian who in June carried the Olympic torch on part of its journey through the UK, and has now been named Top Concierge of the Year in the Asia Pacific region. Jason Eade, concierge at InterContinental Wellington, was awarded the title at the HM accommodation awards in Sydney on Friday night. Following the announcement, Eade acknowledged the extraordinary year he’s been having. “It was truly amazing – it felt such an honour - to be selected to carry the torch on its journey to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. I think only two New Zealanders were selected. Now, to have this acknowledgement of my working career also is very, very satisfying.” The HM Awards are in their 10th year of recognising hotel and accommodation excellence in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. This year a record 2,300 entries were received for the various awards.

While many of the 46 categories are judged region by region, the People Skills awards such as the Concierge title were judged from nominations of all the regions, with other finalists in Jason’s category based in Surfers Paradise, Melbourne, Sydney and Queenstown. A motorcycle accident in 1991 just before Eade was to qualify for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (boxing) resulted in an above-the-knee amputation. With inspirational determination, Jason turned his attention to wheelchair-based sports including wheelchair tennis (1992-1996 - ranking number 2 in New Zealand and winning his grade in the Japan Wheelchair Tennis Open), and New Zealand Wheelchair Basketball (1992-1996) and is now focused on reaching his goal of playing in the US Amputee Golf Open. Eade started his hospitality career with InterContinental in 2000, initially in Banqueting and moving into the concierge division in 2001. He was inducted into the prestigious Hotel Concierge Society Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand in 2006, represented by the crossed gold keys worn on the lapel.

InterContinental Wellington general manager Scott Hamilton, said: “Jason really is an outstanding example of true customer care, offering sound knowledge, problem solving and juggling many tasks at once with warmth and professionalism.” Eade likens a good concierge to a bridge, connecting the hotel guests with the community. “Every day there is an incredible variety of questions and requests, from simple weather updates to the less common, such as (from a bride), “My car hasn’t shown up, could you please drive me to my wedding”. I’ve organised a helicopter tour of the South Island and I cleared a restaurant for exclusive use for the Rolling Stones, within 24 hours (they didn’t use it in the end). “You also need to be physically fit as you’re on the move all the time. I immensely enjoy the challenge.” And the three most common questions Jason fields at the concierge desk of the busy five-star InterContinental Wellington?

“I have half a day in Wellington: what can I do?”
“What’s the best restaurant in Wellington?”
“What’s the weather doing and will I need an umbrella today?”

Domestic travel spending up by $1.5 billion (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00342/domestic-travel-spending-up-by-15-billion.htm)

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1148/4731500708_88d23ce352_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/madgrin/4731500708/)
Milford Sound (http://www.flickr.com/photos/madgrin/4731500708/) by MadGrin (http://www.flickr.com/people/madgrin/), on Flickr

Domestic tourism spending has increased by nearly $1.5 billion in the year ending June 2012, the latest Domestic Travel Survey shows. Produced by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the latest survey shows $10.4 billion was spent on domestic travel in the 12 months to June 2012, up 16 percent on the previous 12-month period. Tourism Research and Evaluation Manager Peter Ellis said the increase in domestic travel spending was particularly strong for New Zealanders visiting friends and relatives and for business travel. “The latest 12 months shows a continuing surge in spending on business trips, which rose by 21 percent to $3.5 billion. That is a $600 million increase. “For the last three quarters, spending on business trips has exceeded that of holidays – something we’ve never seen before.” Mr Ellis said the increase in domestic travel spending also reflected higher food and transport costs. “Spending by domestic travellers on food and alcohol rose by 18 percent to $2.8 billion in the year ending June 2012, while transport costs rose 15 percent, to $3.6 billion, most likely a result of higher petrol prices.” The Domestic Travel Survey is an annual phone survey of 15,000 New Zealand residents and is undertaken throughout the year. Domestic travel data collected includes day trips (where 40km has been travelled one way from home) and overnight trips. The latest survey covers domestic travel trends for the year ending June 2012.

Half a million views of Middle-earth campaign

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888115832/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand advertisement has reached more than 500,000 on-line views to date, despite much of the core campaign work still to launch in off-shore markets. The advertisement was launched on newzealand.com on August 23 with the first television campaign work kicking off in Australia on August 26. New Zealand Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key today [September 11] launched the Japan market version of the advertisement at a special tourism function at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. The campaign includes a Japanese voice-over of the original advertisement, and translated campaign pages on newzealand.com/jp. Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the number of plays of the advertisement is a fantastic start, given that campaign work will continue to roll out across markets through to the first week of October promoting even more viewership. “The full strength of our 100% Middle-earth marketing will not be felt until the end of November when the campaign has rolled out across all our markets and we build up toward the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington. “Our objective across all our marketing work is to compel people already interested in a New Zealand holiday, to make the decision to go. “The advertisement illustrates that much of what people see in the Hobbit films is actually a real place just waiting to be explored. Not only that but you can have some amazing adventures and experiences within our movie-like landscapes.” The advertisement will also be translated into German and Chinese for in-market campaigns.

Queenstown shines at New Zealand Travel Industry Awards (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00423/queenstown-shines-at-new-zealand-travel-industry-awards.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4116/4911704526_9b8f315958_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4911704526/)
Queenstown, New Zealand, The Summit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4911704526/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown businesses took away three awards at the inaugural New Zealand Travel Industry Awards in Auckland on Saturday night (8 September). Destination Queenstown won ‘Best Tourism Office – National’ while New Zealand’s oldest guiding company, Guided Nature Walks were took the honours for ‘Best Tour Operator – Domestic category’. The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel came runner-up for ‘Best Hotel/Resort – New Zealand’. This is the first year the awards have been run and they have received strong support from travel agents, consultants and brokers who all had the opportunity to nominate businesses and vote for the winner of each category. Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd said his team were delighted. “It’s a real honour to be recognised by those we work with in the tourism industry and it’s also great to see two of our operators acknowledged for the fantastic work they do.” The Awards were run by TA Fastrack, a New Zealand travel and tourism business improvement and marketing company.

Queenstown leads national guest nights for July (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1209/S00260/queenstown-leads-national-guest-nights-for-july.htm)

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1169/5134242786_40398184b7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5134242786/)
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5134242786/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown has recorded the largest guest nights increase in the country for the month of July, boosted by strong international and domestic visitor numbers. Released today, Statistics New Zealand’s Commercial Accommodation Monitor (CAM) figures for July 2012 show overall guest nights were up 7.1 percent (or 18,000) to 263,648 compared with July 2011. International guest nights were up 7.4 percent to 176,078, accounting for 66.8 percent of all guest nights in the Queenstown RTO area, and domestic guest nights increased 6.5 percent to 87,571 for the same period. Hotels and backpackers were the key sectors to benefit, with 10.4 and 8.5 percent respective increases in visitor nights. Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd said it was great to see the recovery continuing. “Excellent snow conditions coupled with increased air capacity, marketing and favourable exchange rates directly contributed to Queenstown's surge in guest nights for July. Conference and incentive business was strong throughout the month and Winter Festival was a great drawcard, bringing extra visitors into Queenstown during the first week of July.”

$1/4 million fund launched to stimulate Japanese tourism (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00628/14-million-fund-launched-to-stimulate-japanese-tourism.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4121/4814506867_f42bc030b1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/syazaazrudin/4814506867/)
New Zealand's treasure (http://www.flickr.com/photos/syazaazrudin/4814506867/) by syaza azrudin (http://www.flickr.com/people/syazaazrudin/), on Flickr

A new Japan innovation fund launched today by Auckland Airport will further encourage New Zealand tourism businesses to develop products and services that inspire more Japanese to visit New Zealand and help reverse the decline in visitor arrivals seen in recent years. Coming hot on the heels of Prime Minister John Key's recent visit to Japan to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Auckland Airport has announced a contestable $250,000 Japan Innovation Fund to support further development from the industry and improve our competitiveness. “Japan is a high potential tourism market that is showing strong signs of being ready to rebound to peak visitor numbers,” says Glenn Wedlock, Auckland Airport's General Manager Aeronautical Commercial. “The Japan Innovation Fund is part of our Ambition 2020 initiative1, focused on getting the Japanese tourist market back up to more than 100,000 visitors each year. In order to do this, we need to show them we can deliver the unique experiences they want and offer great value, comparable to countries like Croatia and Slovenia which have seen significant increases in the number of Japanese visitors in the past four years.

"We are seeing good growth in the market with several airlines increasing capacity between New Zealand and Japan, but there is huge potential to develop further demand from Japan if we get this right.” Once activated, the fund will be in place for 12 months, and airlines and other tourism providers will be able to apply for funding to support the development and marketing of products and services to Japan. The Auckland Airport Aeronautical Business Development Team will be outlining how the fund works later this year via a series of workshops and industry engagements. The airport is encouraging the industry to develop new products, experiences and marketing. The initiative will also complement existing Tourism New Zealand campaigns, and will also support interest generated by The Hobbit. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler said “we warmly welcome Auckland International Airport’s support for tourism and innovation for an important market such as Japan to assist it to recover from a period marked by natural disasters and economic challenges.” Auckland Airport analysis predicts Japanese travellers could contribute $300 million each year in visitor value by 2020 – it was about $209 million at the end of 2011.

“Air capacity from Japan to New Zealand needs to increase to support this lift in inbound tourism, and will also support the development of high value air freight exports, which is a key focus for the Government," says Mr Wedlock. The Prime Minister's tour of Japan was focused on exploring opportunities to strengthen extensive bilateral ties and discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would further improve advanced trade relations between the two nations. Japan is our fourth-largest partner in trade and investment, and fifth largest inbound tourism market by arrivals and expenditure. Tourism Industry Association Chief Executive, Martin Snedden, said "This type of investment in New Zealand tourism is just what is needed to increase arrivals, particularly from high net worth markets like Japan. It is great to see Auckland Airport investing in such a focused and meaningful way, giving tourism businesses the impetus to do better for the benefit of our economy". Ambition 2020 was launched during TRENZ in Queenstown earlier this year, and has to date seen Auckland Airport invest in events such as TRENZ and Queenstown Winterfest, a Tourism Asia Marketing Fund competition, and New Zealand tours by international celebrities from Asia including Farah Quinn, Haiyin Chen and Dong Xuan.

Two New Stops Added To Northern Explorer Train Service (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00739/two-new-stops-added-to-northern-explorer-train-service.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7483474446_dd85bd02ff_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483474446/)
24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483474446/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

KiwiRail’s new Northern Explorer train service between Auckland and Wellington will have two more stops added to the timetable at Papakura and Paraparaumu to accommodate for the large catchments of people in Auckland South and Wellington North. “Since launching the Northern Explorer service in June, we have received a number of verbal and written requests for these two stops to be added to relieve the frustration of people having to travel into the city centres only to have to travel back out on the train,” says KiwiRail’s General Manager, Passenger, Deborah Hume. “KiwiRail has previously stated that it would be happy to increase the number of stops on the Northern Explorer should there be a demonstrated demand for it. We believe the number of people wanting to catch the service from both south Auckland and north Wellington warrants this,” says Ms Hume. “Both stops cover a large population catchment, with Paraparaumu incorporating passengers from Waikanae, Kapiti Coast and Otaki, and Papakura encompassing passengers from Middlemore and Pukekohe, and many hotels and motels around Auckland International Airport. These stations also have good parking and are well serviced by taxi and bus services.

“The additional stops also mean that intending passengers from Auckland South and Wellington North do not have to travel from their homes or hotels into the city during the morning peak period, or back again in the afternoon peak at the end of the journey. By establishing stops at Papakura and Paraparumu we open up a much bigger market opportunity for both New Zealand and international travellers, increase sales options, and offer a more attractive service,” Ms Hume says. The Papakura and Paraparaumu stops will be introduced on October 15, in time for the summer season. It is not anticipated that adding these two stops will have any significant impact on the service’s current timetable. There are no fare changes as both stops have common rated fares with Auckland and Wellington respectively. The Northern Explorer runs from Auckland on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and from Wellington on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, with a lay-over day on Wednesday for vehicle maintenance. The timetable operates year-round – 6 days a week every week of the year, including for the first time in many years, Christmas Day.

New Zealand landscapes a star in Hobbit movie trailer (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00715/new-zealand-landscapes-a-star-in-hobbit-movie-trailer.htm)

SDnYMbYB-nU

Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says he is highly impressed by the depiction of New Zealand as “home of Middle-earth” in the latest trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, released today. “The way New Zealand scenery and landscapes feature is fantastic. “This latest trailer vividly demonstrates that Tourism New Zealand is on the right track with our approach to leverage the interest in New Zealand that these films will create. “Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign centres on the reality that New Zealand is the home of Middle-earth: that many of the landscapes people see on screen are real places just waiting to be explored by travellers. Not only can you reach them, but you can have some amazing adventures and experiences within our movie-like landscapes." “More than half a million people have already viewed Tourism New Zealand’s campaign advertisement on-line which is a fantastic start as we build up our Middle-earth marketing activities ahead of the release of the first film, he concludes.”

Asian tourists targeted (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10835402)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5135/5464783660_7ceb3649b6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pacb/5464783660/)
Auckland Lantern Festival 2011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pacb/5464783660/) by NUkiwi (http://www.flickr.com/people/pacb/), on Flickr

Auckland Airport plans to step up its efforts in developing markets to attract more visitors. During the past month traffic from Indonesia has grown 79 per cent following the new Air New Zealand Bali service and promotions including a visit in May by Indonesian celebrity chef Farah Quinn. Glenn Wedlock, general manager aeronautical commercial for Auckland Airport, said there had been a great response to a number of initiatives in markets such as Indonesia and Taiwan. Indonesia's economy was growing rapidly and according to Citibank could be the world's fourth largest by 2040. Global tourism trends now indicate an increasing number of travellers from "emerging" markets as the world economy shifts towards Asia. A reported 50 million Indians are expected to travel overseas by 2020.

NZ tourist arrivals rise in Aug; more Australians, Chinese (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00768/nz-tourist-arrivals-rise-in-aug-more-australians-chinese.htm)

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WELLINGTON 21 JAN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5386470693/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

New Zealand's short-term arrivals rose last month from a year earlier as more Australians and Chinese visitors trumped last year's pick-up from the Rugby World Cup. Some 175,900 people came to New Zealand for a short-term visit in August, according to Statistics New Zealand. That's up 1 percent from August 2011 when visitor numbers were boosted by 4,400 arrivals for the RWC. On an annual basis, short-term visitors rose 5 percent to 2.6 million. Any inflation from last year's sporting event was offset by the Christchurch earthquake in February and disruption to air travel in June because of ash from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, Statistics NZ said. The annual increase was led by 25 percent gain in the number of Chinese visitors to 14,400. Tourists from Australia rose by 3 percent to 2,800. "More arrivals from Australia and China in August 2012 pushed visitor numbers even higher than in August 2011, when they were boosted by 4,400 arrivals for the Rugby World Cup," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said in a statement. "This August, more people from Australia visited friends and relatives, while more arrived from China for holidays."

Auckland Airport passenger traffic bolstered by Asians (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00831/auckland-airport-passenger-traffic-bolstered-by-asians.htm)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6187/6102336034_78d038ba49_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6102336034/)
12 AUG 11 17°C WYNYARD QUARTER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6102336034/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland International Airport, which is targeting Asian tourists to stoke growth in the next decade, reported a 14.4 percent gain in arrivals from the region last month as Indonesia made the top ten for the first time, even as total international traffic fell. Total international passenger numbers, stripping out transits, fell 0.6 percent to 563,243 in August from the same month a year earlier, the airport said in a statement. Chinese arrivals rose 21.3 percent to 13,862, while visitors from Indonesia jumped 36.4 percent to 1,682, the first time that nation has been among the top 10 sources of tourists. "This was driven by targeted marketing campaigns including luxury website and social media activity attracting Indonesian visitors to Auckland as part of Auckland Airport’s Ambition 2020 initiative to focus on the growing market potential in Asia," the airport said. Arrivals from Japan climbed 25.9 percent to 7,646. The country continues to recover after a "period of low visitor growth following the earthquakes in Christchurch and Japan." Arrivals from the UK fell 25.6 percent to 6,503, while visitors from the US dropped 12.6 percent to 7,087.

There was strong domestic growth across the whole group with Queenstown Airport, of which Auckland Airport owns a quarter, rising 26.3 percent to 86,425. International passengers increased 9.8 percent to 36,573 for Queenstown. Auckland Airport also has stakes in Australia’s Cairns and Mackay airports. Cairns reported a 6 percent increase to 320,443 in domestic passengers, while international passengers fell 10 percent to 70,147. Mackay domestic passengers climbed 1.9 percent to 96,035. Auckland Airport's total domestic passenger numbers fell 0.1 percent to 516,598 from the same month a year earlier. Separately, the board reiterated its forecast net profit, excluding any fair value changes and other one-off items to be $143 million to $150 million in the year ended June 30, 2013. That's up from a $142.3 million a year earlier. "We do note with some caution any potential long-term implications of the prevailing volatility in global economies," chairwoman Joan Withers said. "As always, this guidance is subject to any other material adverse events, significant one-off expenses, non-cash fair value changes to property and further deterioration due to the global market conditions or other unforeseeable circumstances."

Auckland wins top billing ... twice (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10836323)

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30 JAN 12 25°C AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6797527553/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

In the eyes of Lonely Planet, Auckland is No 1 and No 2. The travel guide released its latest New Zealand edition yesterday, with a list of the country's 20 top experiences. "It's hard to imagine a more geographically blessed city," the guide says about Auckland. "Is there another 1.4-million-strong city with access to two oceans and such vibrant Polynesian culture?" At the top of Lonely Planet's list was Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. Second was urban Auckland. The city was ranked ahead of tourism spots, such as Queenstown, Milford Sound, Waitomo Caves and the Bay of Islands. "Auckland isn't your average metropolis," the guide says. "It's regularly rated one of the world's most liveable cities, and while it's never going to challenge NYC or London in the excitement stakes, it's blessed with good beaches, flanked by wine regions and has a large enough population to support a thriving dining, drinking and live-music scene. "Cultural festivals are celebrated with gusto in this ethnically diverse city, which has the distinction of having the world's largest Pacific Island population."

The guide even recommends a two-week itinerary to its readers based entirely in the city (Auckland Encounter), though it suggests options for activities "within easy reach of the big smoke", such as surfing at Raglan. When told that Auckland had taken the top two places, leaving his town third, Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said: "Wow, that's amazing." His exclamation was not Auckland's high ranking, but that his town was right up there with it. "It's hard for us to compete with Auckland. Auckland is going to beat us hands down with international visitors because of the airport." The Bay of Plenty district had recently refocused its tourism strategy - and it was surprising the efforts had been so quickly recognised. But Lonely Planet had still got Rotorua's placing wrong, he said. "Number one, mate. But I'm biased." The travel guide noted that Auckland Council was trying to clean up the "mess" that is Auckland's public transport system.

Lonely Planet's NZ experiences

1) Auckland Harbour, Hauraki Gulf
2) Urban Auckland
3) Geothermal Rotorua
4) Wellington
5) Kaikoura
6) Franz Josef, Fox Glaciers
7) Waitomo Caves
8) Bay of Islands
9) Tongariro Alpine Crossing
10) Rugby
11) Abel Tasman National Park
12) Maori culture
13) Otago Peninsula
14) Heaphy Track
15) Central Otago
16) Skiing and snowboarding
17) Queenstown
18) Milford Sound
19) TranzAlpine
20) Akaroa and Banks Peninsula

The Great Walker Competition

DLdb9Mi-q3g

Costa Cruises, come back in New Zealand in 2014
Auckland and Wellington in its World Tour
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Cruising to economic growth (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00042/cruising-to-economic-growth.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/7114233373_7ea447a48d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7114233373/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7114233373/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

With the 2012-13 cruise season about to get underway, new figures reveal the sector is set to continue its run of very strong growth in New Zealand. Figures released today by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) on behalf of Cruise New Zealand and research company Covec highlight how fast the cruise sector is growing its value to New Zealand’s economy. Passenger numbers are forecast to grow 20% in the 2012-13 season, breaking the 200,000 mark for the first time, with over 208,600 arrivals expected to New Zealand ports. This follows a record-breaking 2011-12 season which saw 174,000 arrivals, up 28% on the previous season. The Covec research shows that cruise passengers spent a total of $132 million on onshore excursions, visitor activities and shopping. The growth in the cruise sector and the opportunities it presents will be a major topic for discussion at tomorrow’s 2012 TIA Summit in Wellington. Carnival Australia Chief Executive Ann Sherry AO is a keynote speaker at the Summit and will present the case for her sector. “Cruising is a rolled gold opportunity for New Zealand,” she says. “The 174,000 cruise passengers who arrived here last season are the equivalent of around 330 full A380 passenger aircraft landing in New Zealand – almost one for every day of the year. And every one of those people are looking for great holiday experiences that New Zealand can offer.”
TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says large numbers of travellers around the world are choosing cruise as their preferred mode of travel and New Zealand’s tourism industry must do all it can to embrace the opportunities the growth in this sector offers ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00042/cruising-to-economic-growth.htm)

Huawei’s Travel Business Promotes NZ Tourism (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00104/huaweis-travel-business-promotes-nz-tourism.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/8035315446_c74d2bacca_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8035315446/)
29 SEP 12 20 °C ABOVE AUCKLAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8035315446/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

New Zealand tourism has been given a boost amongst prospective Chinese visitors through a new travel promotion by Smartcom, a travel company owned by Huawei Technologies. Smartcom recently began promoting New Zealand as a holiday destination, and the first two groups of visitors arrived in Auckland on September 30 and October 1. The two groups, totalling 33 Huawei staff and their families, are aiming to see as much of New Zealand as possible during their eight days travelling the country – stopping off in Rotorua, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Timaru, Dunedin, and Christchurch. While the first to take up this offer are all from within Huawei, the promotion is being pushed to other large organisations with offices in Huawei’s home city of Shenzhen, China – a city of more than 15 million people. The promotion is planned to continue long-term, with the next round of visitors expected to coincide with the Chinese New Year in February. Huawei New Zealand CEO, Arthur Zhang, said the promotion of New Zealand was a win win scenario with the local economy benefiting from increased Chinese tourism and prospective holiday makers being made aware of what New Zealand has to offer. “New Zealand is a beautiful country and we are delighted to be helping to spread this message and encouraging Chinese holidaymakers to come and see this amazing place for themselves,” Mr Zhang said. “This initiative comes shortly before New Zealand and China join to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the two nations’ relations. Bringing the two cultures together through tourism is a great way to continue promoting and deepening this relationship.” The first group to land in New Zealand was met by National Party MP Dr Jian Yang, who welcomed the group as they visited the Domain in downtown Auckland. “It is wonderful to see New Zealand tourism promoted in this way and it is a creative way for Huawei to add value to the New Zealand economy,” Dr Yang said. The promotion reflects Huawei’s wider commitment to New Zealand which was recently highlighted as the company announced a US$56 million procurement deal with local organisation Rakon.

Auckland: luxe in the city
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Fashion kings and queens are here — some mingling at a bar while others wait for an available table. Either way, Auckland's food scene is flourishing and a handful of savvy entrepreneurs are attracting the city’s social magnets.

Dining and drinking
Since opening in December, Everybody (http://everybodys.co.nz/)'s has been a hot spot. This former century-old twin movie theatre has been beautifully transformed into a spacious bar and restaurant. The space incorporates elements of the old cinema, and bright-white furnishings with accents of greenery that add to the youthful loft design. It is surely one of the most stylish places to drink. Auckland and oysters are life partners, so it's unthinkable to begin dinner without a couple — perhaps half a dozen. These beauties are the pride of Waiheke Island: Te Matuku Bay oysters. The roasted Hapuka in a cassoulet blanket of smoked octopus, clams and chorizo (NZ$36) is rich and satisfying as a main. As is the Merino lamb with stacked boulangere potatoes, roasted parsnips and a splash of garlic puree (NZ$36). If you have a sweet-tooth, the joyous dessert menu will satisfy. Indulgent flavours abound in the rum baba fig combined with caramelised orange cigar ice cream (NZ$16).

For chic and unique try SPQR (http://www.spqrnz.co.nz/), one of Ponsonby's longest running restaurants. The service is colourful and charismatic but the fit-out is dark and moody which makes for an unusually intimate atmosphere. The Italian flavours at this buzzy restaurant have us charmed. There are platters to share, pasta and pizza that pull in the crowd, but it's their 'Di Carne' dishes that have them coming back. Highlights include the Caprese Salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of olive oil (NZ$27.50) as an entree and the slow roasted lamb shoulder laid on seasonal vegetables and drizzled with Puttanesca sauce (NZ$38) for a rich and hearty main.

You don't have to be a millionaire to feel like a million dollars at this 1888 Victorian homestead bed and breakfast in Devonport. High tea in Peace and Plenty Inn (http://www.peaceandplenty.co.nz/) isn't merely a matter of a meal, it's an experience — and a hat is a must. Owner Judy Machin, who's been running this luxury B&B since 2000, has a selection of hats which you pick and wear over the heavenly high tea. You will appreciate the care and time put into the savory tarts, finger sandwiches and delicate cakes while sipping tea from Judy's decorative vintage tea cup and saucer collection. This historic guest house has charm and character at every turn and is the ideal place for the sophisticated ritual, a touch of romance and a glamorous way to catch up with the girls.

Shopping
Hipsters have laid claim to Britomart. Before becoming an abandoned bus terminal and car park of the 1960s the area was originally an active base for British troops during the 1860s. Now, the area now buzzes with boutiques, restaurant and bars, particularly along Tyler Street and Atrium on Takutai. Britomart (http://britomart.org/) is a label lover’s haven where big fashion names bunker down with emerging designers. Tyler Street is home to iconic Kiwi designers Zambesi, World, Kate Sylvester and soon Karen Walker (opening late 2012). Regular pop-up projects inject creativity into the precinct and a monthly art and design market brings together talented artists and designers who showcase their beautiful creations and one-off wonders. Admirers of bygone beauty will resonate with Coucou (http://www.britomart.org/coucou), where vintage clothing and accessories are handpicked and displayed amongst H&M, Zara and ASOS. Not only are there designer shops attracting the discerning, a great mix of restaurants and bars have also swept through the area giving the city a lift.

Attractions
Auckland is a progressive art-loving city. When exploring the city you will find various public art displays, particularly around the Viaduct area. You’ll also find a vibrant art scene that reflects New Zealand's culturally diverse population at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/). Located in the centre of a city, it is recognized as a hive of up-and-coming artistic talent. After a $121 million facelift in 2011, the gallery boasts award-winning design (http://www.australiandesignreview.com/news/20329-auckland-art-gallery-wins-nz-architecture-medal) that's integrated in an 1887 historic building. You will find leaders in Pacific and contemporary art amongst internationally renowned artists including the works of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore and Andy Warhol. The temporary exhibitions are dynamic and attract the creative crowds.

To get a local perspective of Auckland go on an intimate walk through Ponsonby on a Zest Food Tour. Get a whole new insight into one of Auckland's most vibrant areas and taste the city's culinary culture. Zest Director Kerry Swan knows all of Ponsonby's trendiest spots and will point out all the hipster hangouts. "Beautiful people sit and drink at Tin Soldier and The Chapel," Kerry reveals. You may even bump into a celebrity or two as we did on our tour rubbing shoulders with NZ journalist/presenter Brian Edwards. "Artists, TV stars and known people live in Ponsonby" Kerry says fondly.

Sip and stay
End your day at Hotel DeBrett (http://www.hoteldebrett.com/), which is Auckland's only boutique hotel that's represented by Design Hotels (http://www.designhotels.com/home). It aspires to recreate the allure and elegance of its art deco heyday. Once you have soaked up the décor make your way to the bar for a drink. Settle down at House Bar (http://www.hoteldebrett.com/housebar/default.html) where the mixologists prepare unique cocktails and a twist on classics that are priced no higher than other hotspots of this caliber. The 'rose martini' is made with Saffron gin, Cointreau and rose liqueur whilst the 'DeBrett mule' is primed with 42 Below vodka, Domaine de Canton liqueur, a dash of lime and the splash of the old-fashioned ginger beer. On the weekend, fashion darlings flock here for the drinks and lust over the vintage avant-garde furnishings. The hotel is ideally situated in the city's fashion district on High Street.

Forget the pretentions that come with trendy venues. Aucklanders are inviting and have a hunger for new haunts, so sip your flat white or cocktail and savour in the delight that you've found a corner of the city that's far from touristy where you can eat, drink and eavesdrop.

Southland could benefit from the rising number of cruise ship passengers visiting the region.

With 110,000 passengers floating through Fiordland and the south in 2011-12, a new study will determine the risks and opportunities the cruise ship industry presents.

Venture Southland has approved $10,000 in funding to assess the benefits and impacts disembarking passengers could bring to Southland communities and businesses.

Community Development team leader Bobbi Brown said the research, to be done during the 2012-13 season, would involve working with cruise ship operators, passengers, communities and businesses.

''The number of cruise ships visiting Southland has significantly risen with further growth projected,'' she said.

''There may be an opportunity to capitalise on the benefits of these increasing numbers.''

Environment Southland maritime manager and Cruise New Zealand committee member Kevin O'Sullivan said he was all for more people spending money in Southland.

But the environmental impacts and logistics of an increase in passengers disembarking in Southland would have to be determined, Mr O'Sullivan said.

''It would be good if Southland could tap into the cruise ship industry as an economic resource but the size of some cruise ships would challenge the facilities in a place like Milford Sound.''

Cruise ships varied in size with some carrying about 80 passengers while others held 2,500, he said.

''That is the population of Winton.''

Mr O'Sullivan said a small number of passengers got off the cruise ships calling in at Milford Sound and transferred to land based transport to meet up with their ship in Dunedin.

Stewart Island had benefited from the visit of cruise ships including the Volendam, a 1450-passenger Holland America cruise liner, Mr O'Sullivan said.

The island had appeared to cope with the cruise ship passengers who disembarked and spent money on the island. While cruise surveys showed Stewart Island was the highlight of many of passengers' trip, he said.

The Dunedin City Council's website said the city received nearly 88 per cent of all cruise ship passengers who visited New Zealand and estimated 161,000 cruise ship passengers would visit the city in 2012-13.

Each passenger would spend $125.

AT A GLANCE

● 92 cruise ships are scheduled to stop in Milford Sound, Fiordland in the 2012-13 season

● 15 cruise ships are scheduled to stop in Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island in the 2012-13 season
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● Cruise ships visiting Southland pay a Marine Fee to Environment Southland

● Revenue is used to pay for coastline management

● $1.45 million was generated from cruise ship visits in the 2012-13 season

● $1.9 million is projected to be generated for the 2012-13 season

● Without the Marine Fee, ratepayers would face a 26 per cent hike in rates

● The number of cruise ship passengers visiting Southland has increased from 6,300 to 110,000 in the past decade. Source: Environment Southland

New Zealand’s cruise regions ready for 2012-13 season (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00254/new-zealands-cruise-regions-ready-for-2012-13-season.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6968153124_76910920c5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6968153124/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6968153124/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

As the Dawn Princess arrives into Auckland tomorrow to kick off what will be another record breaking season, cruise regions around New Zealand are readying themselves to deliver an even better experience for their visitors. Port satisfaction surveys undertaken by cruise lines showed New Zealand cruise regions delivered an outstanding season in 2011/2012, with New Zealand ports scoring well above 85% for most lines. Regions around New Zealand have embraced cruise over the years and many of them deliver a great destination experience. At the 2012 TIA Summit this week, Ann Sherry AO, CEO of Carnival Australia which operates a combined fleet of cruise ships including P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Cunard Line, highlighted a number of New Zealand regions for embracing cruise. Ms Sherry praised Bay of Islands for its ambassador programme and Maori welcome; Picton for its flower ladies who welcome passengers with corsages; and Napier whose residents come out dressed in period outfits and their classic cars to farewell passengers.

New initiatives for this season include:
•
Bay of Islands’ upgrade of passenger facilities on Waitangi wharf, ensuring smoother tour dispatch and shelter for passengers
•
Dunedin’s accreditation programme to ensure a high level of service for cruise passengers with the port putting on a marquee where passengers can wait for transport under shelter with access to complimentary Wi-Fi and visitor information
•
Tauranga’s welcoming facility which offers passengers sheltered seating and access to visitor information
•
Akaroa has measures in place to ensure the wharf does not become overcrowded when passengers arrive, improving their visitor experience and ensuring smoother transfers.

Craig Harris, Cruise New Zealand Chairperson and winner of the 2012 Horwath HTL Sir Jack Newman Award for his outstanding contribution to the tourism industry, commends these regions for embracing cruise. But he is encouraging them to think about investing in their infrastructure to ensure they can continue to accommodate cruise ships as they get bigger. At 311.1 metres long and carrying 3,114 passengers and 1,176 crew, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas will be the largest ship to ever visit New Zealand when it arrives in November. The next generation ships are expected to be much bigger, Mr Harris says.

Youth travel visitor boost for Auckland (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00276/youth-travel-visitor-boost-for-auckland.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6792601733_85190cb2ba_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6792601733/)
30 JAN 12 25°C AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6792601733/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Leading 18-35’s travel operator Contiki Holidays is now including an overnight stay in Auckland on its main North Island tours. “Feedback from our clients to see more of Auckland has prompted us to make this addition so they can experience the city in true Contiki style and not only as an additional night before or after their tour,” says Contiki General Manager Tony Laskey. “Auckland is well and truly on the map as a must-visit city with young travellers and has an array of new shopping and entertainment experiences including new developments like Wynyard Quarter and Britomart, which are popular with Contiki travellers.” Laskey says it is a win-win situation as it is enabling travellers explore New Zealand’s biggest city while also fuelling the local economy. As part of the overnight stay, travellers get included admission up the Sky Tower to experience the 360-degree view of New Zealand’s biggest city, VIP entry to one of Auckland’s hottest nightspots and accommodation at Accor’s Mercure Hotel. The tours featuring a night in Auckland are The Big Tiki, a 19-day tour of New Zealand; Northern Choice, an 11-day tour making its way from Christchurch to Auckland or vice-versa; and Sun and Steam, a seven-day tour of the upper North Island starting and finishing in Auckland. Contiki’s overnight stays in Auckland begin on October 6. For more information on Contiki Holidays, visit www.contiki.com.

New York Times pushes 'Hobbit trail' NZ tourism (http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/new-york-times-pushes-hobbit-trail-nz-tourism-ck-130263)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6888440486_a7552c2b4f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888440486/)
30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888440486/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

In some very sweet timing for John Key - in the US meeting studio heads - The New York Times (http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/travel/new-zealands-hobbit-trail.html?hp) has pushed "New Zealand’s Hobbit Trail" on its home page. A four-page, heavily-illustrated article on the site (which claims around 35 million unique readers a month) sees NYT Hollywood correspondents Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieply turn travel reporters, visiting locations featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the coming Hobbit films. The pair are wowed by New Zealand, if not always in unreserved terms. In Matamata ("pronounced MAW-da MAW-da") on the Hobbiton set, "The hill is perfect — steep, shaggy and as green as a radioactive shamrock, like the matching hills around it. The sheep seem pretty idyllic themselves: polite little nibblers who only sometimes block the road," the pair write. Following Ian Brodie's Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook (500,000 are now in print) the pair drive on to Tongariro and the Chateau, where director Peter Jackson and crew based themselves while filming in the area. "Though it looks from the outside like a cross between The Shining hotel and the Baltimore psychiatric hospital in The Silence of the Lambs, inside the atmosphere is lovely," they write. Meanwhile, looking to drum up more film business for New Zealand, John Key has been meeting with the heads of the major studios this week - plus, above, the cast of ABC Studios' Body of Proof (photo courtesy National Party Flickr stream). Then it's on to Wellington, "The offbeat, slightly San Francisco-ish capital offers more organized movie tours with visits to anywhere from 7 to 25 Lord of the Rings filming locations" before the pair hit Queenstown - home of "jaw dropping mountains" and a tour guide who confesses he sometimes wears plastic Orc ears while driving around town. Since the first LOTR film's release, about 266,000 people have visited the half-ruined Hobbiton, according to Tourism New Zealand, Barnes and Cieply write. with a majority from abroad. More than 50,000 people came in 2004 alone, when Lord of the Rings fever peaked after the release of the Oscar-winning third instalment. In fact, 6% of all New Zealand visitors that year, or about 150,000 people, listed the movies as a “main” reason for coming, and 11,200 said it was their only reason.

Read the full article here (http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/travel/new-zealands-hobbit-trail.html?hp).

Digital Voting Now Live for 101 Must-Dos (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00292/digital-voting-now-live-for-101-must-dos.htm)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2467/3866603216_368a332c5a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3866603216/)
New Zealand, North Island-242 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3866603216/) by Tristan27 (http://www.flickr.com/people/tr1stan27/), on Flickr

With recent research revealing almost 70% of New Zealanders are committed to seeing more of their country, AA Tourism is excited to launch the 2012 101 Must-Dos for Kiwis. National pride is high on the agenda as Kiwis are encouraged to cast their vote online from today by choosing from a menu of over 1600 best-loved attractions and destinations on the AA Tourism website (www.aatravel.co.nz/101). Voting closes on 15 November with winners announced on 25 November. The iconic public voting campaign attracted 200,000 votes when first launched in 2006 and the results of the 2012 list will be highly anticipated by industry and travellers alike. Research conducted immediately after the release of the 2006 101 Must-Do’s for Kiwis list confirmed that 71% of respondents cited the list as positively influencing their decision to travel so there’s a great deal at stake for tourism operators vying to get a foothold on the list or maintain their previous ranking. GM Marketing for AA Tourism, Rebecca Cherry says; “The 101 Must-Do’s List is already generating friendly industry rivalry and lots of positive community engagement. We all love talking about and planning our holidays and that’s why we believe that Kiwis will embrace the opportunity to cast their vote. “We know from recent research that 69%* of Kiwis would like to travel more domestically and that 62%* of us research our holidays online so engaging people in the ‘101 Must-Do’s’ online poll is a perfect way to increase awareness of New Zealand’s diverse domestic travel offering,” she says.

Martin Snedden, Chief Executive of the Tourism Industry Association applauds the initiative: “The AA Tourism’s 101 Must-Do’s List is exactly the sort of positive engagement we need. Many people aren’t aware that domestic tourism generates $36m** in activity every day for our economy resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs throughout New Zealand.” The 101 Must-Do’s refreshed website and new Facebook app means it has never been easier to vote. Keen photographers are being encouraged to upload photos and win some great prizes. In addition to supporting their favourite ‘Must-Do’ attraction or destination, voters go into the draw to win the Ultimate Kiwi Holiday valued at $10,000. Milford Sound was voted top of the original 101 Must-Do’s list in 2006 followed by Doubtful Sound and Bay of Islands. It’s anyone’s guess as to which destinations/attractions will take the top spots in the 2012 list but one thing is for sure the list announcement on 25 November will be highly anticipated. As further inspiration to explore New Zealand, AA Tourism are launching voucher books crammed full of unique offers for both the South and North Island attractions in conjunction with their 101 Must-Do’s list. These will be distributed via AA Centres, Caltex Service Stations, selected rental car and campervan companies and to selected AA members via AA Directions magazine.

Gorgeous !!!!

bMUxpTb_wWc&list

Visitors making more time for NZ (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10839398)

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Beach beach beach!!! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13965522@N00/222973291/) by Anke L (http://www.flickr.com/people/13965522@N00/), on Flickr

Chinese visitor numbers are booming, and importantly for New Zealand tourism their stay here is increasing. Latest figures show Chinese visitor numbers have rocketed from around 30,000 in 2000 to around 180,000 in the current year. For the year to August they spent $522 million here. Tourism New Zealand regards China as a top tier market to target and is with airlines and airports spending tens of millions of dollars on boosting these numbers. The total market is enormous. Last year about 70 million Chinese took overseas trips spending more than $90 billion and New Zealand is in a battle to attract more visits against 140 other countries, for which China's government grants passports, to attract more visits. One inbound tourist operator said China was seen as "a pot of gold" but if not done right New Zealand companies risked missing out while industry leaders stress the Chinese market can't be seen as "an economic transaction". Tourism NZ's general manager of Asian markets Tony Everitt said the spectacular growth of the past decade was expected to continue and the growth in the length of stay - a measure of the spending power of a market - was also exciting. Most visitors are here on holiday and stay an average of 6.1 days - 10 days less than the international average - but numbers spending five to 29 days here are forecast to grow by a third over the next year. Everitt said during the next three years it was hoped up to 50,000 Chinese visitors could be in the long- stay category, more than the total Japanese and German leisure market.

Everitt is based in Shanghai and said he sees no evidence of the "so called" economic slowdown in China. "To be quite honest we don't see any evidence of that on the streets and we don't see any evidence of that impacting Chinese visitors in the near-term." Tourism NZ uses its 100 per cent Pure New Zealand campaign in China as in other markets. "The promise of having fun in a stunning natural setting is a key drawcard." The organisation uses Chinese "opinion leaders", particularly actress Yao Chen who is its brand ambassador and who has been shown enjoying New Zealand. Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines has been flying direct to Auckland for the past 18 months - for most of that time daily - and has been a factor in the big increase in the number of Chinese tourists. Its sales manager in New Zealand, Valerie Wang, said demand had increased steadily made up of those visiting friends and relatives, students, the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) market and general business. "New Zealand is still a fresh destination to most of the Chinese travellers." This county could do more, she said.

Consulates, such as that in Guangzhou, could process visas more efficiently, increase the capacity within the industry especially for the bigger spending visitors and Mice groups and it could learn from what other countries such as Singapore, the Netherlands and Australia had done to market themselves in China. Southern China Airlines spent about $10 million promoting New Zealand in China last year. A new air services agreement allows a trebling in the number of daily flights between New Zealand and China although Southern China says it has no plans to increase services. Air New Zealand has this year changed its strategy in China, avoiding the often clogged airspace around Beijing and concentrating on Shanghai. It has flown five times a week to Shanghai since July and will boost this to daily from January. Its deputy chief executive Norm Thompson, a tourist industry veteran, this year told the Trenz conference the airline was working on a number of initiatives in the local market to increase the number of Chinese visitors choosing to travel directly and exclusively to New Zealand. This included only featuring New Zealand tour itineraries in campaigns with key local partners. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific said there was growing interest from the mainland for its New Zealand services and it would again increase the number of flights to twice a day over summer. Country manager for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Ken Chiu said demand was "reasonably good" on the Hong Kong-Auckland route. The clean natural environment was a drawcard but so too was shopping and one-way retailers could do better by staying open longer.

Hotel guest nights up in August (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00401/hotel-guest-nights-up-in-august.htm)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5205/5288914268_f77ec6676b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/westinhotels/5288914268/)
The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay—Rear of the Hotel and Q restaurant (http://www.flickr.com/photos/westinhotels/5288914268/) by Westin Hotels and Resorts (http://www.flickr.com/people/westinhotels/), on Flickr

New Zealand guest nights (after removing seasonal variation) rose 2.6 percent in August 2012 compared with July 2012, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows a fall of 8.8 percent in July. "Hotels were the only accommodation type to have a significant rise in seasonally adjusted guest nights," acting industry and labour statistics manager Clara Eatherley said. Monthly movements for August 2012 (after removing seasonal variation) were:

•
Domestic guest nights rose 3.2 percent, while international guest nights fell 0.2 percent.

•
North Island guest nights rose 3.9 percent, while South Island guest nights were unchanged.

•
Hotel guest nights rose 7.1 percent, while other accommodation types showed little change.

The national trend for guest nights has generally been declining since December 2009. The trend for domestic guest nights is relatively flat in 2012, while the international guest nights trend appears to be rising since a low point in March this year. Trend movements can change when future months are added to the time series. The Accommodation Survey records guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month. For more information on monthly accommodation statistics, see the Accommodation Survey: August 2012; for visitor numbers, see International Travel and Migration.

Back to normal for hotels in September (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00656/back-to-normal-for-hotels-in-september.htm)

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Kauri Cliffs Lodge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23172952@N04/3238173497/) by RalphJB (http://www.flickr.com/people/23172952@N04/), on Flickr

A year on from Rugby World Cup 2011, hoteliers are counting both gains and losses when they compare this September with the same period of 2011. New statistics from the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) show hotel occupancy increased in many regions last month but room rates were generally lower than in September 2011. However, anomalies created by RWC 2011 mean it is more realistic to compare September 2012 with September 2010, TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says. When last month’s statistics are compared with September 2010, occupancy is on a par and room rates show good gains. Mr Snedden says RWC 2011 had a huge impact on normal patterns of hotel business. “There was a dramatic decline in traditional September corporate and conference business, replaced by RWC business. However, this varied significantly across regions, with high demand in some centres around match days and periods of soft business between matches,” Mr Snedden says. “These peaks and troughs resulted in relatively static occupancy levels but increased average daily room rates which were pushed up by high demand from rugby fans around match days.” ... FULL REPORT (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00656/back-to-normal-for-hotels-in-september.htm)

Queenstown ranked 2nd in top cities of the South Pacific (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00714/queenstown-ranked-one-of-top-cities-in-south-pacific.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4116/4911695124_696a6bedd5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4911695124/)
Queenstown, New Zealand, The Summit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4911695124/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown has earned international acclaim as one of the ‘Top 5 Cities of the South Pacific’ in Condé Naste Traveler’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards. Based on 46,476 reader reviews, the prestigious luxury travel publication ranked Queenstown second overall for its ambiance, friendliness, lodging, restaurants and culture. It rated 76.4 - just behind Sydney, which scored 81.7.

The breakdown of Queenstown’s ratings is as follows:

• Ambience: 91.6
• Friendliness: 91.8
• Lodging: 78.7
• Restaurants: 75.8
• Culture/Sites: 76.9
• Shopping: 53.8

Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd was delighted with the accolade and said gaining recognition from such an influential travel publication was something to be celebrated. “It’s a great acknowledgement that so many international travellers feel Queenstown is welcoming, vibrant and delivers world-class experiences.” To view all Condé Naste ratings visit http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/oceania/top-5-cities-australia-pacific#slide=1.

Auckland set to dazzle international travel trade (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00791/auckland-set-to-dazzle-international-travel-trade.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/6965996280_844cb997e0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6965996280/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6965996280/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Influential international travel trade representatives and media are being invited to enjoy a new side of Auckland when they arrive to meet New Zealand’s top tourism operators next April. New Zealand’s most important annual tourism business event, TRENZ 2013, will take place at The Cloud and the newly renovated Shed 10 on Auckland’s waterfront, 21-24 April 2013. It will be the first time that TRENZ has been held in the central city, offering about 1000 delegates easy access to Auckland hotels, bars, restaurants and attractions. It will also offer the international delegates an opportunity to enjoy Auckland’s waterfront venues which were such a hit during Rugby World Cup 2011, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive Martin Snedden says. “TIA is excited to be bringing TRENZ back to New Zealand’s most multi-cultural city. With the advantages brought by the new, central venue, we are confident we will dazzle our international guests and show them new and exciting aspects of our urban lifestyle,” Mr Snedden says. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says TRENZ 2013 will deliver an amazing display of New Zealand’s unique metropolitan landscape, culture and diversity. “The vibrant urban scene that is Auckland city will ensure all the international travel and tourism Buyers and media who attend TRENZ have an amazing experience. We know from the Rugby World Cup 2011 that the Auckland waterfront offers a superior venue both day and night, with some of New Zealand’s most unique experiences and stunning landscapes right there on the city’s doorstep.” Auckland Mayor Len Brown is looking forward to welcoming both the New Zealand tourism industry and the international Buyers and media to his city ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00791/auckland-set-to-dazzle-international-travel-trade.htm)

Auckland named Australasia’s top tourism destination (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00834/auckland-named-australasias-top-tourism-destination.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6728641391_0952751e93_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6728641391/)
18 JAN 12 24°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6728641391/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland has once again beaten Sydney, Bora Bora, The Whitsunday Islands and Fiji's Yasawa Islands to take out the title for Australasia’s top destination in the 2012 World Travel Awards. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) is delighted that Auckland has received the prestigious accolade, the city’s second win in three years in this category. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, the World Travel Awards (WTA) acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. The travel elite of Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean were announced at a ceremony hosted in Singapore on Thursday 18 October. Also recognised in the awards were Air New Zealand, named Australasia’s leading airline for the fourth year in a row, and Tourism New Zealand, named Australasia’s leading tourist board. ATEED Acting General Manager Destination Jason Hill says the win reflects Auckland’s ever-growing strength as a truly international destination. “This is an outstanding result that once again shows Auckland is more than holding its own against some of the world’s most popular destinations. We are consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to visit, live, study and invest, and this latest award is further testament to that,” says Mr Hill. The awards, described by the Wall Street Journal as the ‘Oscars’ of the global travel and tourism industry, reveal who are the ‘best of the best’ in the world. Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals, including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in over 160 countries across the globe. Winners of the regional ceremony will now go on to compete in the World Travel Awards 2012 Grand Final in New Delhi on 12 December 2012. ATEED works to help drive Auckland’s visitor economy and contribute to making Auckland the world’s most liveable city.

World Travel Awards 2012 | Australasia (http://www.worldtravelawards.com/winners2012-5)

Australasia's Leading Airline ... Air New Zealand
Australasia's Leading Boutique Hotel ... The Spire Queenstown, New Zealand
Australasia's Leading Destination ... Auckland, New Zealand
Australasia's Leading Golf Resort ... Millbrook, New Zealand
Australasia's Leading Tourist Board ... New Zealand Tourism Board

New Zealand's Leading Boutique Hotel ... The George Christchurch
New Zealand's Leading Business Hotel ... The Langham Hotel Auckland
New Zealand's Leading Golf Resort ... Millbrook
New Zealand's Leading Hotel ... The Langham Hotel Auckland
New Zealand's Leading Luxury Lodge ... Treetops Lodge & Estate
New Zealand's Leading Resort ... Eagles Nest
New Zealand's Leading Ski Resort ... The Spire Queenstown
New Zealand's Leading Spa Resort ... Paihia Beach Resort & Spa Hotel

Christchurch in Lonely Planet's top 10 (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841997)

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CHRISTCHURCH 23 JAN 11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5498332459/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Quake-ravaged Christchurch has made it onto Lonely Planet's list of top 10 cities, the only New Zealand city to do so. The city, described by Lonely Planet as "rising from the rubble with a breath-taking mix of spirit, determination and flair", is ranked 6th on the travel publisher's Top 10 Cities for 2013. Lonely Planet's Asia Pacific sales and marketing director Chris Zeiher said each city was chosen based on its merits and the experienced it offered travellers. "We believe 2013 will be a great year to visit to Christchurch and experience the amazing energy of the city in its rebuilding phase." Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the energy and buzz in Christchurch made it an exciting place to visit. "The creativity and determination Christchurch people have shown since the quakes means we now have a city like no other in the world," he said. Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend said Christchurch's inclusion in the list showed how far the city had progressed since the quakes. "Hopefully we're going to see a lot more visitors heading our way as a result of this endorsement. It is vital to our economy that our tourism industry recovers quickly and accolades like these are an invaluable marketing tool." Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter said there was a misconception that Christchurch was still a broken city but the city now had a lot of tourism providers up and running again. "Christchurch truly is the garden city, especially in spring, summer and autumn. It's still a beautiful city to live in," he said. Associate Minister of Tourism Chris Tremain said Lonely Planet's endorsement of Christchurch was exactly the sort of boost the city needed. "It's a real coup to get Christchurch included in the list of top 10 cities for 2013. As a regular user of Lonely Planet when I am travelling myself I fully understand the significant value of this recommendation." After the devastating earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011, much of the CBD's buildings and infrastructure was damaged or had to be destroyed. Before the quakes it housed around 6000 businesses employing 50,000 people. Now the central city has been cleared for rebuilding. So far the Government has spent around $2.45 billion on rebuilding the city.


Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities 2013:

1. San Francisco, America

2. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

3. Hyderabad, India

4. Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland

5. Beijing, China

6. Christchurch, New Zealand

7. Hobart, Australia

8. Montreal, Canada

9. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

10. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Chinese visitor numbers overtake Britain and US (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10842409)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2718/4456648276_fd26f032d6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allivsamson/4456648276/)
Auckland Chinese Lantern Festival 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/allivsamson/4456648276/) by Alliv (http://www.flickr.com/people/allivsamson/), on Flickr

China was the second largest inbound market through Auckland Airport during a 12-month period, overtaking both the United States and Britain for the first time. Chinese visitor numbers at the airport were up 74.2 per cent to 13,316 for September compared with the same month last year, according to figures released yesterday. For the 12 months there were close to 180,000 Chinese visitors, up 35 per cent on the previous year. The airport's monthly figures show Australia easily remains the most important source of visitors with 59,413 arrivals. More New Zealanders travelled to the Pacific Islands and Queensland during September than they did in the same month last year. This was partly attributable to the number of Kiwis who had deferred travel during the Rugby World Cup taking trips this year instead. Domestic passenger numbers were strong at both Auckland Airport and at affiliate airports - Queenstown and in Queensland - in September. Domestic passengers were up 11.3 per cent on last year at Auckland Airport, 27.1 per cent up at Queenstown Airport and 9.7 per cent up at Cairns Airport. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the continuing surge in Chinese visitor numbers was significant for the tourism industry. "However, although the number of arrivals are high, Chinese stay on average for significantly fewer days than visitors from the United States and Europe, which remain priority markets for Tourism New Zealand." Auckland Airport holds its annual meeting today at 2pm at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau.

NZ holds No 1 spot for Aussie short haul travellers. More Australians want to visit New Zealand than any other short-haul destination. Although still in top spot with 12.9 per cent, this has fallen from its peak of 15.1 per cent before the Christchurch earthquake in February last year, according to a Roy Morgan Holiday Tracking Survey. Fiji and other South Pacific Islands such as Vanuatu are also favoured destinations, with 8 per cent of Australians wanting to holiday there. Qantas and Tourism New Zealand have set up a travelator at Sydney Airport to showcase the best of the North Island to customers. The travelator resembles an aircraft fuselage, is 27m long and as customers walk through it they see images of North Island attractions.

Domestic tourism spending outpaces international spending (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S00901/domestic-tourism-spending-outpaces-international-spending.htm)

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31 MAR 12 WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6900069102/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Total tourism expenditure increased 2.4 percent ($546 million) to $23.4 billion in the year ended March 2012, according to the Tourism Satellite Account: 2012 published today by Statistics NZ. Spending by domestic tourists in New Zealand increased 3.0 percent ($397 million) to $13.8 billion in the year ended March 2012. In comparison, international tourism expenditure increased just 1.6 percent ($149 million), following a 1.8 percent increase in the year ended March 2011. "Growth in overseas visitor arrivals of 4.4 percent, largely driven by the 2011 Rugby World Cup, contributed to this small increase in international expenditure," satellites account manager Peter Gardiner said.

Other key facts for the year ended March 2012 are:
•
International tourism expenditure contributed $9.6 billion (15.4 percent) to New Zealand’s total exports of goods and services.
•
Tourism generated a direct contribution to GDP of $6.2 billion, or 3.3 percent of GDP.
• The indirect value added of industries supporting tourism generated an additional $9.7 billion for tourism, or 5.2 percent of GDP.
•
The tourism industry directly employed 119,800 full-time equivalents (FTEs), or 6.2 percent of total employment in New Zealand.
•
Tourists generated $1.3 billion in goods and services tax (GST) revenue.

Key events that influenced tourism activity in the year ended March 2012 included the hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the impact of the devastating February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, ash from the Chilean Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano disrupting air travel, and the ongoing effects of the global financial crisis. Tourism Satellite Account: 2012 does not separately identify the impact on tourism expenditure at both a domestic and international level for these events. Tourism Satellite Account: 2012 incorporates the new industry classification, Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 2006 (ANZSIC06), which better represents the current economy.

NZ golf courses get top marks from China mag (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10842771)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3057/3029696287_b53c9f6ed2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/downunderendeavours/3029696287/)
Cape Kidnappers Golf Course (http://www.flickr.com/photos/downunderendeavours/3029696287/) by downunderendeavours (http://www.flickr.com/people/downunderendeavours/), on Flickr

Some of New Zealand's most exclusive golf courses have got rave reviews in a 100-page story run by one of China's biggest selling golfing magazines. With a monthly circulation of over 350,000, China's Golf Digest last month dedicated its entire edition to showcasing New Zealand as a premium golfing destination. Top courses such as Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, Clearwater and Jack's Point were profiled in a 104-page feature entitled 'Fantastic New Zealand'. Four writers from Golf Digest visited New Zealand earlier this year, hosted by Tourism New Zealand (TNZ). Over ten days, the media group travelled the country visiting courses in Northland, Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Canterbury and Queenstown. They also enjoyed themselves visiting premium restaurants and accommodation, stories which also appeared in the feature. Famous kiwi golfers Michael Campbell and Sir Bob Charles, and TNZ chief executive Kevin Bowler were interviewed. TNZ's general manager of corporate affairs Chris Roberts said golf is a specific interest area for Chinese travellers to New Zealand. The "exclusive coverage" in Golf Digest was worth an estimated $1.9 million in equivalent advertising value, he said. "The publication allows us to engage directly with a targeted audience and raise their awareness of what we have to offer." TNZ would not not disclose the amount spent hosting the media group, saying the details were commercially confidential. In the 2011/12 financial year, TNZ spent a just under $1 million on its international media programme, which it said generated an estimated $74 million in advertising equivalent value in the same period. Figures out this week showed China had now overtaken the US as New Zealand's third largest source of visitors, with 186,800 Chinese arriving in the September year. Auckland International Airport believes China has the potential to generate more than 430,000 visitor arrivals by 2020. Chinese visitors through the airport last month numbered 13,316, up 74.2 per cent on the same month last year.

Hobbit tourism scatters more of Tolkien's magic across New Zealand (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/13/hobbit-new-zealand-tourism)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6888475814_ce4bdd4143_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888475814/)
30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6888475814/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

For millions, the Lord of the Rings films turned the country into Middle-earth. As the premiere of a second trilogy approaches, tour operators are ready for another bonanza. This time last year, New Zealand was under the spell of the Rugby World Cup, with host nation enthusiasm going a long way to realising the organisers' vision of a "stadium of four million". In 2012, the big event features hairy feet of a different sort, with the New Zealand-made film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opening with a world premiere in Wellington, the home town of director Sir Peter Jackson, in six weeks. A decade after Jackson's three-film adaptation of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings emerged to critical and popular acclaim, the countdown to The Hobbit – in its film form, also a trilogy – began last week in earnest. In earnest and in fact: Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown unveiled a giant clock, complete with an image of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, counting down the minutes to the 28 November premiere. The clock sits atop the Embassy Theatre, the handsome 1920s cinema that will host the screening. A bevy of international stars, led, it's safe to predict, by Freeman, will return to Wellington to walk the red carpet down Courtenay Place. The last time the 500m carpet was unrolled, for the world premiere of The Return of the King in 2003, about 120,000 people came to watch the procession. Organisers expect a similar turnout this time. "It will be a real carnival atmosphere," promises Wade-Brown. There is nothing subtle about efforts to piggyback. The national tourism slogan "100% Pure New Zealand" has become "100% Middle-earth", while in the days leading up to the premiere Wellington will be "renamed", Wade-Brown announced last week, as "Middle of Middle-earth".

It would all no doubt bewilder Tolkien, who conjured up his Middle-earth from Oxfordshire in the 1930s, and never travelled as far as New Zealand. The cinematic Middle-earth, however, is becoming hard to avoid. Last week saw the launch of commemorative stamps and coins sporting the images of Freeman's Bilbo and Ian McKellen's Gandalf. A dollar coin will sell for NZ$30 (£15). A set of three $10 coins retails at $11,000 (£6,000). Elsewhere, hints of the approaching publicity deluge keep appearing. At the top of the website for TVNZ, the country's biggest broadcaster, lining up alongside generic categories such as "news", "sport" and lifestyle is "The Hobbit". Passengers on Air New Zealand will soon find themselves lectured on the location of their lifejackets by crew dressed as characters from The Hobbit in a new inflight safety video. A shire of four million, then? Not quite. Broadly, New Zealanders are behind Jackson's project, and appreciative of what the films have done for the film and tourism industries (the combined value of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the New Zealand economy is estimated at more than NZ$700m, or £350m). But reports of "Middle-earth fever" are misplaced. The novelty of the scale and ambition of the Lord of the Rings project has dissipated, and for the most part enthusiasm is muted. If there is feverishness, it is in the efforts of the tourism industry to "leverage The Hobbit", as the Tourism New Zealand chief executive has put it. The "100% Middle-earth" campaign, it is hoped, will be a shot in the arm for an industry that has seen growth in visitor numbers stall in recent years.

It is all a huge contrast from the Lord of the Rings experience. Back then, tourist operators felt "ambushed" by fans of the films, says Melissa Heath, owner of Southern Lakes Sightseeing, which specialises in Lord of the Rings location tours. "I don't think anyone in New Zealand was ready for it." Her company, based in the South Island tourist hub Queenstown, fielded numerous calls after the first release in 2001 from visitors eager to see the film locations – those that weren't created digitally, at least. By 2004, the company had become exclusively focused on Lord of the Rings tourism. "It was initially full-on Ringons," says Heath. "People would be speaking elvish in the van, dressed as Sam or Frodo. Now it's settled back to everyday people. But most of our clients are absolutely committed, dedicated fans." They are also almost invariably from overseas. "New Zealanders are completely bemused by the interest here," she says. Heath is expecting business, which has remained steady since hitting a peak in about 2005, to grow again with the Hobbit films. Her company, along with similar operators around New Zealand, is eagerly awaiting the likely release of location details. "We have an idea about them, but like everybody we don't know exactly where." The attraction most certain to enjoy a boost is Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours. Nestled in undulating hills near the quiet rural town of Matamata, in the North Island Waikato region, and half-owned by Jackson, this is where the hobbits really lived. Or near enough: large parts of the Rings and Hobbit films were shot here – and the current visitor numbers, about 20,000 a year, are expected to rapidly swell.

Tourism aside, the great economic legacy of The Lord of the Rings is in production expertise – highly skilled crews and digital animators – backed by a "phenomenal investment in computer technology", says John Yeabsley, a senior fellow at the NZ Institute for Economic Research, and co-author of a 2002 report on "the lasting effects of The Lord of the Rings". "Once all the mania was over, what it really left was an amazing increase in human capital, in skills and reputation, in proven capability on the ground," Yeabsley says. That is echoed by the Wellington mayor. "The Tolkien transformation has been absolutely extraordinary for our capital," says Wade-Brown, a British expatriate. "There will be short-term gains for the city, in tourism especially, but the big Wellington story is really one of technology and talent." The threat today for that skilled workforce, as for tourism, says Yeabsley, comes both from the the global economic slump and the strengthening New Zealand dollar. When Jackson began on the first trilogy, the American dollar bought almost exactly twice the amount of the New Zealand currency that it does today. It is against that backdrop that John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, embarked earlier this month on a tour of Hollywood, to "sell New Zealand" to studio bosses. He had an able chaperone in James Cameron, who spent more than NZ$350m making Avatar in New Zealand, and is in the process of moving his family to live there. With the screen industry contributing close to NZ$3bn a year to New Zealand's economy, said Key, "in simple terms, this visit is about jobs for New Zealanders". Part of his message was that "we have made sure our law is flexible".

Giant Gollum installed inside Wellington Airport

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http://www.screenslam.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Gollum-Installation-at-Wellington-Airport.png

http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/img5/GollumWellingtonAirportInstallbig03.jpg

Air New Zealand's Hobbit inspired inflight safety video

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Study Confirms Auckland Drives New Zealand’s Cruise Industry (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1210/S00835/study-confirms-auckland-drives-new-zealands-cruise-industry.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6699674335_279533d1fc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6699674335/)
15 JAN 12 25°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6699674335/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland’s contribution to the cruise industry is pivotal to the sector in New Zealand according to the latest Economic Impact Assessment released today by Cruise New Zealand. The report reveals that during the 2012/13 season Auckland is on track to welcome 178,000 passengers and 78,000 crew, resulting in an injection of $114.9 million GDP into our region’s economy. This will surpass the 2011/12 cruise season which was Auckland’s strongest to date, with 163,000 passenger days spent in Auckland making up 16 per cent of all passenger days in New Zealand. During the season the sector supported over 1,550 jobs and added $101.2 million GDP to the Auckland economy. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says the cruise industry is moving ahead at pace and the strong results confirm the importance of the sector for the region’s visitor economy. “The Auckland Visitor Plan outlines the city’s aim of increasing our annual visitor economy from just over $3 billion to around $6 billion per annum by 2021, and growth in the cruise sector will play a vital role in helping to achieve these targets,” says Mr O’Riley. The report reveals the important role that Auckland plays as an exchange port, with the passenger’s experience impacting on their first or last impression of New Zealand as a destination.

Waterfront Auckland Chief Executive John Dalzell says Auckland is already investing in cruise infrastructure with a new cruise facility currently under construction in Shed 10 on Queens Wharf. “The cruise terminal will be ready for Auckland’s 2013/14 cruise season and will double the size of the current facility on Princes Wharf,” he says. Mr Dalzell says it is part of a wider progressive strategy for the delivery of cruise infrastructure being developed with Ports of Auckland that will ensure future investment keeps pace with the projected growth in the sector. Mr O’Riley says the Queens Wharf cruise facility will go a long way to improving the visitor experience for the thousands of cruise passengers that visit Auckland each year. “The cruise facility will be a great asset for Auckland and provide a welcoming first impression and seamless experience for visitors. But we can’t stop there – continuing to work with the industry to ensure Auckland’s status as a top cruise destination remains a high priority,” he says. ATEED works to help drive Auckland’s visitor economy and contribute to making Auckland the world’s most liveable city. Waterfront Auckland leads the strategic approach to the development of Auckland’s waterfront, consistent with Auckland Council’s vision and is the planning and design division charged with the delivery of the waterfront masterplan.

New look for newzealand.com (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1210/S01250/new-look-for-newzealandcom.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6935942471_c64cb8ce8c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuacripps/6935942471/)
New Zealand Bound! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuacripps/6935942471/) by Joshua Cripps (http://www.flickr.com/people/joshuacripps/), on Flickr

Tourism New Zealand’s consumer website has today been updated with important design and usability improvements. The improvements are the next step in the evolution of the site as it works to communicate directly with people considering a visit to New Zealand and convert them to travel. “newzealand.com is at the centre of Tourism New Zealand’s strategy to engage with travellers actively researching, planning and booking their New Zealand holiday,’ says Catherine Bates, Tourism New Zealand General Manager Brand and International PR. “While the role of the site remains the same – to connect consumers with travel sellers – it will now deliver this via improved functionality, usability and clearer design." The user-centred changes are based on an independent usability review, industry feedback and robust user research, including a mixture of online and face-to-face research across multiple markets engaging with almost 1,000 participants. “This research has helped us understand what improvements need to be made to support the genuine needs of users and will continue to be a key aspect of the on-going evolution of the site,” says Catherine. Key changes to the site include an updated navigation structure to help users find popular content and business listings. Content has also been renamed and re-grouped to enable users to make a clearer distinction between official and contributed content, know where they are located in the site and where to go next to find the information they are looking for.

“Visited by 11 million people in the year ending June 2012, the website is an influential information source. The improvements build on the redeveloped site released in 2011 which gave operators and travel sellers greater ability to use the site to promote their business. “The latest improvements have been designed to better connect potential travellers with travel sellers to continue to build preference for New Zealand as a holiday destination.” Small but significant changes to the site have been implemented over the past few months and have helped improve the efficiency of newzealand.com. Click through rates to travel sellers have climbed across Tourism New Zealand’s priority markets and consumers are more engaged with time on the site increasing by 26 per cent. Tourism New Zealand worked with Digital Arts Network (DAN) on the improvements. Commenting on the website Che Tamahori, Managing Director DAN, said; "Tourism New Zealand has driven a rigorous programme of testing and audience research to deliver site improvements. These changes make the site faster and easier to get around – delivering both impact and ease of use for users." The site is constantly evolving and enhancements to the site to support marketing campaigns and to deliver improved usability and functionality will occur on a regular basis.

Air New Zealand safety video a global hit (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1211/S00141/air-new-zealand-safety-video-a-global-hit.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8136969343_5419fcf7e3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernzfotos/8136969343/)
Gollum - The Hobbit - Unexpected Journey (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernzfotos/8136969343/) by Bernzfotos (http://www.flickr.com/people/bernzfotos/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand’s latest safety video is a global hit, achieving worldwide media coverage and 6.2 million YouTube views in just four days since launching. The safety video is inspired by the upcoming fantasy adventure The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) production, which is the first in a trilogy of films from Kiwi director Sir Peter Jackson. The video has been created in conjunction with the Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop (The Lord of the Rings films) and features appearances from Jackson, as well as the unforgettable character Gollum, and descendants of J.R.R Tolkien, author of the timeless masterpiece The Hobbit on which the trilogy is based. Air New Zealand’s Head of International Marketing, Jodi Williams, says the safety video was a viral hit from the moment it was launched. “On the first day the safety video was watched by more than a million people on YouTube and that number has now grown to well over 6 million in just four days. On top of that stories on the video have featured in some of the world’s biggest news outlets, such as CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph and Wall Street Journal. The video has been simply fantastic for growing global awareness of the forthcoming movie, Air New Zealand’s brand and New Zealand as a destination. But most importantly it’s been a hit with customers on our aircraft and has again shown that by creating world class content people will engage with the safety messages,” Ms Williams says. The safety video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/airnewzealand and images from it are available for download at www.airnzhobbitmedia.com. Customers who pay close attention to the safety video could win a once-in-a-lifetime Middle-earth experience in New Zealand. Hidden within the video are secret Elvish codes. Viewers who spot the codes can then visit www.airnzcode.com/hobbitmovie to unlock the door to Bag End and be in to win a trip for two to New Zealand, including a tour of the Hobbiton movie set, a visit to the Weta Cave in Wellington and double passes to the red carpet global premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Ms Williams says Air New Zealand will invest several million dollars in Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe on uniquely Air New Zealand marketing efforts related to The Hobbit movies to attract more tourists to New Zealand. The airline is also working with Tourism New Zealand on a range of initiatives, including helping to bring a large contingent of journalists to experience Middle-earth. A forthcoming feature of Air New Zealand’s support of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be a themed aircraft which will be revealed prior to the movie’s global premiere in Wellington on November 28.

thanks for all the information

thanks for all the information

You are most welcome :cheers:

Auckland is more than big city lights (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10845270)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6966072384_9d21b348d7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6966072384/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6966072384/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The top Australasian travel destination. The best two visitor experiences in New Zealand. A finalist in an international Sport City award. A venue for the World Triathlon Series for the next four years. The accolades for Auckland's can-do attitude have come thick and fast. Auckland was determined that the organisation, and staging, of Rugby World Cup 2011 would not be a one-off and there would be legacy benefits. The council etched into its 30-year plan that Auckland would be a true international destination, and experience, for tourism and events. Over the past month, Auckland was named: A Sport City of the Year finalist in the International Sports Event Management awards, alongside Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, London, Manchester and Melbourne. The winner will be announced, in London, on Friday (NZ time). Australasia's top destination at the 2012 World Travel Awards, heading off Sydney, Whitsunday Islands, Bora Bora and the Yasawa Islands. The Grand Final to find the global winner is in New Delhi on December 12. Home to New Zealand's top two visitor experiences - Auckland Harbour/Hauraki Gulf and urban Auckland including newly-refurbished Britomart and Wynyard Quarter - as recorded in the latest edition of the Lonely Planet travel Guide.

Auckland successfully staged the Barfoot and Thompson-sponsored Grand Final of the World Triathlon Series over Labour Weekend, and the International Triathlon Union wasted little time in naming the challenging inner-city course as a series stop-off for the next four years. Auckland will open the world circuit next April. Though Auckland's international reputation as a sporting and visitor destination has risen dramatically, the city hasn't overlooked its domestic market. In September Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) launched its first domestic tourism campaign in a decade. The second round of the campaign, showcasing the depth and breadth of Auckland's tourist offering, is planned for March/April next year, and overall the campaign is aimed at getting Kiwis "to visit more, stay longer and spend more". Last year Auckland had 10.3 million domestic visitors, but only 4.3 million stayed for more than one night. Auckland has long been known as the gateway to the country, with the international airport receiving 1.9 million, or 75 per cent, of the 2.6 million overseas tourists a year. Traditionally, many haven't stayed long in Auckland, but that is starting to change. Total guest nights for the year ending May 2012 increased 7.5 per cent to 6.35 million compared with a national fall of 0.5 per cent to 31.67 million. The average length of stay in Auckland increased slightly from 2 to 2.03 nights. An additional one night's stay in Auckland for 1.9 million visitors, spending an average $250, would result in an immediate windfall of $475 million in a year for the local economy.

So, is the gateway tag for Auckland out of date? Jason Hill, manager tourism at Ateed, says the latest awards "are for best destination and best visitor experiences - they don't say anything about being a gateway. "There is a new face to Auckland and the way we are starting to promote it is having an effect on travel agents and visitors' impressions," Hill says. "We have the uniqueness of the world's largest Polynesian city, rich in Maori, Pasifika and other cultures. We have the sophistication of big city life with good quality accommodation, superb dining and bars, and an array of great shopping. "Within minutes of downtown you can be walking on to a marae, peering into a volcanic cone, strolling through a rainforest or on a golden sandy beach, and take thrilling jetboat or America's Cup yacht rides." Hill says the domestic campaign was aimed at changing New Zealanders' perception about Auckland. "They come to Auckland for the big lights, an event or concert and a game of rugby. We want to give them ideas they haven't thought about, and have them stay an extra night." Ateed, in conjunction with DoC and local iwi, is planning a new tourist offering - a one or two-day walk on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands. Hill says DoC has nine great walks and "we want this one to be the 10th." The plan is for a local iwi guide to accompany the visitors and tell them the story of the islands, from pre-European to modern times. "Standing on a 700-year-old maunga and volcano, and taking in the unique flora and fauna and the views back to Auckland city will be second to none. "Nowhere else do you have this combination and variety."

Airline plans tip China growth (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10845562)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/4806975616_96ac612819_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4806975616/)
ARROWTOWN (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4806975616/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland International Airport chiefs hope the fast growing Chinese tourist market will be boosted by Air New Zealand's plans to expand links into China and signs China Southern Airlines may step up services to this country. Air New Zealand will move to daily flights to Shanghai and its new deal with Cathay Pacific means better connections into mainland China through Cathay's Dragonair subsidiary. Meanwhile, executives from China Southern are due to visit Auckland next month, just over a year since starting direct daily services between Auckland and Guangzhou. Figures released yesterday show China has surged ahead of Britain to become New Zealand's second-largest tourist market. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) quarterly International Visitor Survey, showed spending by Chinese visitors has increased by 37 per cent in the past year. A total spend of $555 million in the year to September 2012 put China ahead of British spending ($545 million) for the first time. Incoming Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said New Zealand was part of China Southern's expansion plans for Australasia. "I think they are confident they have new routes all around their network and new planes," Littlewood said. "They have confidence in growth and they have confidence out of New Zealand."

China Southern's New Zealand general manager Henry Dai said yesterday the past year had shown demand for greater business and leisure travel between New Zealand and China. "We look forward to working with New Zealand authorities and the industry to develop our service further," he said. At the launch of the daily service a year ago, the airline also announced its intention to explore hubbing options to South America. This, along with a possible twice daily service into Auckland, could more than double New Zealand's inbound tourism growth and revenue from China, Auckland Airport said. China Southern is Asia's largest airline in fleet size and passengers carried. It flies to 121 destinations and has 136 aircraft on order - of which 10 are Boeing 787-800 Dreamliners - and this created big potential for future growth. Littlewood yesterday highlighted the benefits of the direct air links to southern China which had led to 40 per cent year-on-year growth of Chinese visitors through the airport. Littlewood, who takes the top job next week, said the number of visitors from China was now second to Australia as the highest inbound market. Littlewood, at present general manager of retail and commercial, takes the top job on Monday, and said he was optimistic about Air New Zealand's plans. "It gives them better connections into China which is good for them but also good for us. It increases the penetration into the Chinese market." The airport's international market development manager, Mark Frood, said potential new services from Auckland to South America offered potential for growth.

China tourist spend jumps nearly 40pc (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10845498)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6107/6310206306_c7df00c06c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickyliew/6310206306/)
Lake Tekapo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickyliew/6310206306/) by RickyLiew (http://www.flickr.com/people/rickyliew/), on Flickr

China has surged ahead of the United Kingdom to become New Zealand's second largest tourist market, according to figures out today. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) today released its quarterly International Visitor Survey, which shows spending by Chinese visitors has increased by 37 per cent in the last year. A total spend of $555 million in the year to September 2012 put China ahead of UK spending ($545 million) for the first time. Ongoing growth in the Chinese visitor spend would have major implications for our tourism industry, said the ministry's tourism research and evaluation manager Peter Ellis. "In the last three years China has overtaken Japan, the United States and now the UK tourist markets to become our second largest tourism market, as we forecast 14 months ago would happen around this time," he said. "The number of visitors from China has increased by 37 per cent in the last year alone, and just as importantly, the amount they spend while here has also risen by 37 per cent." Chinese spending was still less than a third of New Zealand's largest tourist market Australia, which spent $1.7 billion in the year. Statistics New Zealand released figures last month showing China had overtaken the US as New Zealand's third largest visitor source in the September year, up to 187,000. This comes behind the 1.17 million Australians and 198,000 visitors from the UK. Ellis said Chinese visitors tended to take shorter trips to New Zealand than other visitors, and they tended to focus on Auckland and Rotorua. On average, Chinese tourists spend 16.6 days and $3,300 in New Zealand. The MBIE was working with the tourism industry on a China Market Review, he said. "The aim is to identify actions to improve the quality of experiences for Chinese visitors and maximise the potential of this surge in tourism." The Visitor Survey showed the total visitor spend - including all countries - fell by two per cent in the year, despite arrivals numbers increasing two per cent. The drop was largely due to a change in the visitor mix, with visits to friends and family increasing from 33 to 35 per cent of the total, the MBIE said in a statement. People who stay with friends and family typically spend less money while here. The International Visitor Survey is based on interviews of 5,200 tourists per year departing from New Zealand airports.

South Island's best wine tourism ventures revealed (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1211/S00194/south-islands-best-wine-tourism-ventures-revealed-today.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4005/4440173960_ca2f30c7c6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timjordanphotography/4440173960/)
Rippon vineyard at Lake Wanaka (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timjordanphotography/4440173960/) by jorgazmo (http://www.flickr.com/people/timjordanphotography/), on Flickr

Spy Valley Wines won this year's new category - architecture and landscapes - for its impressive and award winning building that responds to the region's dramatic natural environment, judges said. Christchurch | South Island, which includes the Waipara Valley, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and Central Otago wine regions, belongs to the exclusive network. Chief Judge Dr Joanna Fountain, a senior lecturer in tourism at Lincoln University, says she was "very impressed" by the growing range of wine tourism opportunities available overall. "I was particularly impressed by the level of initiative and innovation shown by more established operators and their dedication to demonstrating consistently high standards." This year's regional winners will now go on to compete against the network's eight other cities and wine regions from around the world at the international awards in Florence, Italy. Melton Estate, in West Melton near Christchurch, won the Wine Tourism Restaurant category, having introduced a new chef, a seasonal and mostly local menu and a new pavillion and courtyard area. Mayor Bob Parker says the opportunity to promote Christchurch and the tourism and wine industries of the wider South Island regularly to an international audience were a key part of belonging to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. "We see huge value for our city and the wider South Island in using the awards to promote our region to wine tourists, who spend a lot more and stay significantly longer than your average tourist," says Mayor Bob Parker. Northburn Station, in Central Otago, won the Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences for its innovative and memorable visitor experience. "The setting is truly spectacular, offering products from the farm and garden is unique, and the wine is exceptional," says Dr Fountain. Central Otago's specialist wine tours company, Appellation Central Wine Tours, won the award for wine tourism services for offering a "consistently excellent experience". Yealands Estate Wines won the award for Sustainable Wine Tourism. "Yealands is continuing to strive to provide new opportunities for the visitor to share their vision and are really creating a total visitor experience at the winery," says Dr Fountain. This includes a new self-guided winery drive and picnic option. The winners receive a Best of Wine Tourism trophy and plaque as well as opportunities to promote themselves locally and internationally through the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. For more details about the winners, categories and criteria see: www.southislandwine.co.nz/awards.asp

360 Degrees on Queenstown and Wanaka Goes Live (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1211/S00216/360-degrees-on-queenstown-and-wanaka-goes-live.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/4830686476_d0eac52df1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/globetrottingmatt/4830686476/)
Queenstown lake - New Zealand. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/globetrottingmatt/4830686476/) by globetrottingmatt (http://www.flickr.com/people/globetrottingmatt/), on Flickr

An exciting new tourism website aimed at promoting Queenstown and Wanaka’s attractions to the online world using the latest in panoramic photographic technology was launched earlier this week in Wanaka. Keith Stubbs, owner and operator of www.360queenstown-wanaka.com, described the site as “Google Maps meets Google Street View and the Yellow Pages rolled into one”, and predicted it would be one of the three or four biggest websites in the area. “The 360qw mission is to provide the most comprehensive and detailed information website for Queenstown and Wanaka while producing useful and entertaining content all year round,” he said. Launched to an audience of tourism professionals at Wanaka’s Oakridge Hotel, Mr Stubbs said the site incorporates stunning 360-degree interactive panoramic photography with maps, detailed information and editorial, as well as regular updates on weather, river, lake and snow conditions. A Wanaka local who is originally from the UK, Mr Stubbs first went to Japan to write for a guidebook entitled ‘Snow Search Japan’. (The guide book went on to win a gold medal at the New York Independent Publisher Awards). It was in Japan that he became involved with the first 360 website in the resort of Niseko. “The 360 founders wanted the second site in the world to be launched in a renowned international tourism region,” he said.

“In a busy winter month 360niseko has 17,400 visits, 8,000 unique visitors, and 43,000 page views, so as Queenstown and Wanaka are year-round tourism destinations we’re expecting the kind of stats we’ve seen in Japan in both summer and winter. “With year-round activities, many of which are outdoors, just about every corner is stunning and the potential is huge. Our home page carousel is a prime piece of web real estate.” Mr Stubbs said all local businesses were being encouraged in the first instance to sign up for a free basic listing. “We want to get businesses engaged with the site, which is pretty simple to do, just like updating a Facebook page. Then they can become familiar with the product and service, and see how it works before deciding if they want to sign up for one of the sponsored packages, which can include panoramic shots of their own business and be included on the most detailed maps available which will take customers directly to them.” Aiming for 1000 panoramas on the site within the year, Mr Stubbs said he already had 100 location pages and over 200 panoramas uploaded. He is working with local and highly respected photographer Jackie Gay who captures the entire sphere of an image, above and below.

Mr Stubbs said there is considerable skill required in taking the original shots but understanding the “stitching process” is the key element. Stitching the panoramic images together takes about two hours for each ‘pano’, which can be linked together to create a virtual tour through a business. “Because we’ve developed and grown this skill in-house, we keep costs low and are able to offer the very latest in cutting-edge technology to our local businesses at a very competitive price,” he said. Mr Stubbs said iPads, iPhones and other smart devices were predicted to take over from websites as traveller information portals by 2014. With this technology the panoramas come into their own as the instinctive tilting of the devices enable users to “look around” as they would naturally. He said there were many obvious advantages to users, who were “pretty likely” to be coming to Wanaka or Queenstown if they were looking on the site, or potentially in the area already. “They’ll be able to find easily located business details, including descriptions, opening times, phone numbers, maps (including satellite maps with topography), and direct links to the business’s website – plus that stunning 360 degree image or virtual tour. “This is much more than a directory with attractive visuals. We’re dedicated to promoting Queenstown and Wanaka as a world class destination and invest a significant amount of our revenue back into reaching the right people from the right places.” An events database and accommodation booking engine are also in the pipeline for the site. All prices and plans are available on the website www.360queenstown-wanaka.com

^^ Stunning images! :cheers: There is no place more beautiful in the world than this!
<3 LOVE LAKE WANAKA <3

Nelson Businesses Keen to Cash In on Cruise Arrivals

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/7917667/Market-on-wishlist-to-hook-in-passengers

Nelson retailers and artists are considering how to cash in on two high-end cruise ships coming to Port Nelson, with Nelson Tasman Tourism keen to see a collaborative approach to any events targeting passengers.

The port will play host to two ships carrying between 400 and 600 passengers each, run by German cruise company Hapag Lloyd, early next year.

Nelson Tasman Tourism international marketing manager Loren Heaphy said the Europa would visit Port Nelson on February 12 and the Bremen would visit on March 8.

They were the first to visit the region in about four years, and the Bremen would return on Christmas Day next year, stopping at Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay.

"Cruise ships work very far in advance, so we're working at the moment on trying to get cruise ships for 2015 onwards. Any that we get for the next three years will be a bonus."

Mrs Heaphy, who has been working with Port Nelson to plan for the ships' arrival, said she was hearing from a lot of retailers and individuals wanting to set up markets targeting passengers.

"I'm really keen to get something like that happening. It would be fantastic, but I'm hesitant to say that the cruise ships' arrival is going to mean everyone gets lots of business. A lot of the people on the cruise ships already have their activities pre-booked," she said.

Cruise ship passengers usually "hit the ground" about 10am, and return to their ships by about 6pm. Research showed they were likely to buy art, jewellery and clothing, but not food or drink as they got that on board.

Arts Council Nelson manager Lloyd Harwood has been canvassing artists to see what experiences they have had with initiatives targeting cruise ship passengers in the past.

Arts Council Nelson would be happy to help facilitate something like an arts market if it would benefit artists. However, he had heard "mixed" responses from people about past initiatives.

"We're always looking at what opportunities we can offer our artists. I would be really happy if someone else picked it up and ran with it. I just want to make sure that something happens."

Mrs Heaphy said Nelson Tasman Tourism, which was in contact with the cruise liner company, had been having discussions around setting up an artisans market at the port.

"What we'd like is to do it though something like Uniquely Nelson and some of those larger representative groups, so everyone gets a slice of the pie . . . I think we need to be collaborative about it.

"We have to be wary of the costs outweighing the potential outcome, and we probably don't want to dilute it by having too many things going on," she said.

Mrs Heaphy said Arts Council Nelson or the Regional Art Development Initiative (RADi), behind this year's inaugural Art Expo Nelson, would be suitable groups to work with.

"We would welcome people to contact us with their ideas. We want to look really professional and offer them [the passengers] smooth sailing when they arrive in the region," she said.

Kiwi Experience Number One for Independent Travel (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1211/S00421/kiwi-experience-number-one-for-independent-travel.htm)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5109/5608649466_0bf56ed955_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/5608649466/)
Conical Hill-Routeburn Track-New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/5608649466/) by mikemellinger (http://www.flickr.com/people/theworldismycanvas/), on Flickr

Legendary New Zealand hop-on hop-off bus adventure tour, Kiwi Experience, was awarded Best Tour Operator and Best Transport Operator at the Golden Backpack Awards in Sydney on Thursday night. While it is the first time the big green buses have won the Best Transport Operator Award, 2012 marks the fifth time Kiwi Experience has won the award for Best Tour Operator. The awards, which are Australasia’s only dedicated awards program for the independent travel sector, recognise companies which make travelling around Australia and New Zealand extra memorable. Run by TNT magazine, the international campaign for the Golden Backpack Awards saw almost 80,000 votes cast by travel lovers from around the world. Tourism Holdings Limited (thl) GM Marketing and Customer Experience, Kate Meldrum, says the Kiwi Experience team are thrilled to have won the two awards - a first for the tour operator. “While we are always excited to come home with one Golden Backpack, to win two is just the icing on the cake of what has been another awesome year. “Kiwi Experience would not be what it is today without our incredible team of driver guides, operations masterminds and trade partners and these awards are a credit to their efforts. It is the involvement of all of these parties that has enabled us to show travellers the best of what New Zealand has to offer and make sure they have a great time along the way.” In addition to Kiwi Experience, one of the newest additions to thl’s brand portfolio, Mighty Campervans, was also nominated for the Best Car/Campervan Rental Company in New Zealand – a promising start for the brand which only launched to market in May. Kiwi Experience has been successfully operating hop-on, hop-off tours aboard their legendary buses for over 22 years and with consistent demand from travellers the world over, there are no signs of slowing down as peak season approaches. For more information about Kiwi Experience and the range of tours available, visit www.kiwiexperience.com

Matamata gears for influx of Tolkien pilgrims (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7945586/Matamata-gears-for-influx-of-Tolkien-pilgrims)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/7034211539_6b36cfe67a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034211539/)
30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034211539/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

A record number of tourists on a pilgrimage to JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth are expected in the once sleepy Waikato dairying town of Matamata. The numbers through the i-SITE door are expected to double to around 400,000 in the coming year following the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Part 1 in Wellington on November 28 and the general release of the film on December 12. Sue Whiting, manager of the Matamata Public Relations Association which runs the i-SITE tourist information centre, said the town now knew what to expect with the release of a Tolkien movie, having enjoyed three films in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She expected the first of the new Tolkien prequel trilogy to break the 2004 record of 360,000 visitors to Matamata and edge close to 400,000. "We went from an average of about 50,000 visitors a year, before the first of the Lord of the Rings films in in 2001, to a record of 360,000, the year after Return of the King in 2004," she said. "Now it's about 200,000 a year." "We have never really stopped since then and there's massive interest in the new movie." Matamata-Piako District Mayor, Hugh Vercoe said the expected visitor numbers were "absolutely fantastic", but doubted the people of Matamata were truly prepared for the crowds. "Whenever people used to come here, they would always want their photo taken just in front of the sign, now I imagine even more people will want their picture in front of the new gateway, it will be tremendously iconic. I don't think the town fully appreciates the numbers that will come through, but it will certainly be good for them. It's definitely exciting," he said. Set builders, returning the Hobbiton movie set on the Alexander sheep farm near Matamata to a film-ready condition over the past few years, had helped boost the town's economy. The veil of secrecy, around the movie set which attracts hundreds of visitors per day, has finally been lifted. Hobbiton, whose hobbit holes were stripped to plywood shells when the Rings film crew left a decade ago, has been restored to its former glory for The Hobbit trilogy. Jackson, who has a 50/50 share in the business alongside the Alexander family who own the land, has also enlarged the set with additional Hobbit holes making 44 in all. "About five years ago Peter Jackson said he wanted to make The Hobbit and said he wanted to come back and rebuild Hobbiton and we entered a joint venture with him," Russell Alexander, general manager of Hobbiton, said. "We had to get it looking like the 1700s." "There will be a bit of an influx of visitors," Mr Alexander said. "We want to have The Green Dragon pub open for the premiere." From Hobbiton's lakeside pub, rebuilt for The Hobbit after being burned to the ground for The Return of the King, punters will be able to enjoy a swift beer as they conclude their tour of the set. The new, improved, Hobbiton employs around 50 staff including 10 gardeners.

New Zealand picked to host top Chinese travel agents (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1211/S00526/new-zealand-picked-to-host-top-chinese-travel-agents.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6861194433_c2c5852528_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzannehitchen/6861194433/)
Chinese New Year (http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzannehitchen/6861194433/) by suzienewshoes (http://www.flickr.com/people/suzannehitchen/), on Flickr

China Southern Airlines senior executives have chosen New Zealand as the location to host 250 top travel agents from China for its annual agent incentive event in December – travelling on the airline’s brand new A380 aircraft. "The visit from such a large group of travel opinion leaders will provide huge potential for future promotion of New Zealand in this key outbound travel market," says Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial for Auckland Airport. "These are the top China Southern travel partners, and this visit is very much in line with our focus on our Ambition 2020 goals to develop more New Zealand experiences and build higher quality offerings for Chinese visitors. This is an incredible opportunity for the individual operators and destinations that are part of their tour, as well as for the New Zealand tourism industry as a whole.” "It’s very pleasing for Auckland Airport to have played a key role in securing this incentive for Auckland and New Zealand, and to be chosen as a partner in this initiative. For New Zealand, it is a fantastic honour to be the chosen country for this incentive visit and senior delegation. This reiterates the commitment China Southern has for the New Zealand market and the airline's focus on its Canton (Auckland – Guangzhou – Europe) services.” The 250 delegates will be in New Zealand for five days, visiting various tourist destinations around Auckland, including new experiences on Waiheke Island, the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Hobbiton in Matamata and Waitomo Caves. China Southern is also holding a gala dinner at the Viaduct Events Centre for the agents, which will be attended by New Zealand tourism industry and business leaders. Other events for the delegation will include dialogue between the New Zealand tourism and trade industries to further deepen New Zealand and China relationships and opportunities. "China Southern Airlines is committed to developing our service with New Zealand and as a way of demonstrating this, and rewarding our most successful travel agents, we chose this country for our annual familiarisation programme. This trip will allow the travel agents to experience what New Zealand has to offer their customers first-hand, and in doing so increase the opportunity for third-party endorse to future travellers," says Mr Henry Dai, China Southern Airlines’ New Zealand General Manager. "We are very happy to have a strong strategic partnership with Auckland Airport, as this will enable us to succeed in this market." China Southern Airlines flies daily between Auckland and Guangzhou (formerly Canton), China's third largest city and the capital of the Guangdong province, a major importing and exporting hub in China and the tourism gateway to the rest of southern China. China Southern Airlines is the world's third largest airline as measured by passengers carried and Asia's largest airline in both fleet size and passengers carried. The airline flies to 121 destinations, flying A330-200 aircraft between Auckland and Guangzhou, which have the capability to transport perishable and other high value goods. China Southern is flying its new A380 to New Zealand for two round trips during the delegation visit. The A380 is a double deck aircraft and is the world’s largest commercial aircraft flying, with capacity to carry 525 passengers in a comfortable three-class configuration. Currently the airline still has 136 aircraft on order, including 10 most recent models of B787-800 and one aircraft jumbo A380-800 (four have been delivered earlier this year), which creates big potential for future growth.

New Zealand voted tops in UK survey (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9675436/Telegraph-Travel-Awards-2012-the-winners.html)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5306/5615314837_f15a39f76a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/5615314837/)
Routeburn Valley-Routeburn Track-New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/5615314837/) by mikemellinger (http://www.flickr.com/people/theworldismycanvas/), on Flickr

New Zealand was presented the ‘Favourite Country – Worldwide’ award at the Telegraph Travel Awards in a ceremony at the ME Hotel in London last night. The Telegraph Travel Awards are known in the industry as being comprehensive, transparent and trusted due to the fact they are decided by votes by readers. More than 17,000 Telegraph readers took part in the poll this year. New Zealand edged out finalists Maldives and South Africa to win the ‘Favourite Country – Worldwide’ category. Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive Tourism New Zealand said the award is a huge honour. “We are so pleased and excited to have received this award and would like to thank Telegraph readers for their passion and enthusiasm for New Zealand. “It’s great news for us to know that, even in these tough economic times long haul destinations like New Zealand are obviously still so important and inspiring to Telegraph readers. “It’s been an exciting year for New Zealand - this time last year we were still celebrating a very successful Rugby World Cup and we are now looking forward to the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey which is coming up in Wellington in just a few short weeks’ time.” This latest accolade for New Zealand follows closely behind Tourism New Zealand’s recent win for the third year running as Australasia’s Leading Tourist Board, and its nominations this week in two categories for the World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards was founded in 1993 to recognise, acknowledge and reward excellence in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry worldwide. Tourism New Zealand is in the running to be named the World's Leading Tourist Board. And it’s new 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign is one of just four finalists for the World's Leading Destination Marketing Campaign. The other finalists are Australia – There’s Nothing Like Australia; Morocco – Movement for more summer; and Spain – I need Spain. The official online voting is now open at www.worldtravelawards.com/vote and closes on 25th November. The winners will be announced in Delhi, India on 12 December. For more information about the Telegraph Travel Awards, and for the full list of winners go to www.telegraph.co.uk/

Stars get Indonesia hungry for NZ travel (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10848009)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2777/4329677514_c23ed06987_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pletten/4329677514/)
The Interislander Ferry in New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pletten/4329677514/) by Kristian Pletten (http://www.flickr.com/people/pletten/), on Flickr

Auckland Airport says the stars are aligning for an influx of visitors from Indonesia, a market it describes as the next China. The company is launching a big marketing push with a double dose of celebrity power and a multimedia campaign in Indonesia whose economy, now the 16th biggest in the world, is forecast to be the seventh biggest by 2030. The campaign is part of a $10 million a year marketing budget the airport has to expand tourism and build up more air links, primarily in the Pacific Rim. Indonesian celebrity chef Farah Quinn arrived yesterday to film cooking shows that will be fronted by model and actress Jessica Iskandar. The pair have more than 2.5 million Facebook and Twitter followers between them. Java-born Quinn finished her high school years in the US and from there embarked on a culinary career. Ala Chef is a cooking show where she gets to explore the regional cuisine and produce of Indonesia. Their visit comes as Indonesian airline Garuda expresses growing confidence in starting services to New Zealand next year. Earlier this year Garuda said it would fly to New Zealand when market conditions allowed and during the past week said Auckland would be part of its expansion plans in the third quarter of next year in addition to London and Brisbane. The airline is undergoing substantial renewal and is due to take delivery of 24 new aircraft next year. It has said it would use an Airbus A330 to fly to New Zealand. Glenn Wedlock, general manager aeronautical commercial for Auckland Airport said Air New Zealand's decision to extend its Bali season was also positive. Although aimed at New Zealanders flying to the tourist island, it would help create interest in Indonesia. Air service negotiations were under way between Indonesian and New Zealand officials that could increase flights between the two countries. Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee's office yesterday said discussions have been held with Indonesia and the Government expects new arrangements will be announced in the first quarter of next year. The existing agreement allows for 900 seats a week for the airlines of each country. Quinn's popular show Ala Chef will feature her visit to Auckland and Queenstown, there will be a print media campaign including the Jakarta Post and a digital drive including the Luxury NZ website. Wedlock said while potential visitors studied and learn online, most would finally "convert" through the travel agencies. Quinn and Iskandar's social media followers were largely among the target market - the fast growing middle class.

Following Quinn's visit in May web traffic to New Zealand travel websites surged between 30 and 40 per cent. During the past year Chinese and Taiwanese stars have also been brought by the airport and tourism partners to New Zealand to promote the country. Unlike airlines, the airport was active in markets well before services started and was targeting the middle class and upper middle class. The aim was to create demand and have seats filled at an "appropriate price", Wedlock said. "We're building our New Zealand positioning in the market so there's a good yield for carriers when they do come in. "We don't want to see a lot of capacity come in and everyone lowers their fares. The airport was keen on knowing what worked and what doesn't work in the different markets. It was difficult for airlines to invest before they knew they had a strong competitive position. Wedlock said the new campaign would work in the short term, even without direct air links to New Zealand. "It's kicking off because there is a peak season over the [NZ] summer period, Garuda and other carriers fly via Australia." Last year 88,000 Indonesian visitors flew to Australia. "We're setting up a level of engagement to hit those programmes up later in the year and again in the next holiday period." As part of the airport's Ambition 2020 programme it aimed to increase the market to up to 50,000 Indonesian visitors a year who could spend more than $100 million a year. For the year ended September, 12,000 Indonesians visited. New Zealand tourism forecasters had badly underestimated the growth of the Chinese market and the same was likely in Indonesia, the airport said. "We do have this opportunity with Indonesia on our back door step. It's been a sleeping giant," Wedlock said. Indonesian tourists were active visitors in the more lucrative "free independent traveller" market than some other nationalities. There had been a proliferation of domestic and regional carriers which now provided strong links from throughout the archipelago to international airports, giving flights to New Zealand a greater pool from among the population of 240 million. It was not clear yet where Garuda would fly from if it does resume services.

EDIT - WRONG THREAD

New Zealand: Best Hotels to live like RoyaltyNew Zealand provides the perfect opportunity to escape in style,
whether you’re looking for a boutique beach escape or a breath taking mountain retreat,
there’s something for everyone.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall recently visited New Zealand on their highly anticipated Diamond Jubilee Tour. From the harbour city of Auckland to Wellington, the hub of Hobbit activity, through to Christchurch, they enjoyed true kiwi hospitality and the best that New Zealand has from top-class accommodation to award-winning food and wine. With the excitement of Charles and Camilla’s tour still endemic, Tourism New Zealand has provided a guide of the most luxurious new accommodation so you too can travel like a Royal. New Zealand provides the perfect opportunity to escape in style, whether you’re looking for a boutique beach escape or a breath taking mountain retreat, there’s something for everyone. Enjoy indulgent extras such as spa baths, private patios, king-size beds and log fires so you can relax and unwind after a day enjoying New Zealand’s beautiful scenery and landscapes.

Best New Zealand Hotels to live like Royalty

Atahuri - Boutique Beach Escape Overlooking Kapiti Island
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/a/atahuri.jpg
An hour north of Wellington, Atahuri is tucked into the sand dunes at Peka Peka beach, overlooking Kapiti Island. Atahuri features four luxury suites (sleeping two) and offers the perfect base for those looking for a peaceful beach setting. Expect comfy sofas, bay windows with stunning views, private patios facing seaward, and local, original artwork by the lodge’s owner. Enjoy a round of golf at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, experience a cooking class, visit the local vineyard and brewery, and stroll along the endless white beach (46 kms long!) or take a swim in its safe, warm waters. For more information go to www.atahuri.co.nz

Luxury Lodge Tin Tub - Wanaka
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/t/tin-tub.jpg
Sitting high up on the ridge overlooking Wanaka with breathtaking views over the lake and to the mountains, Tin Tub has a total of five rooms – lodge and luxury villas. The luxury villas each have spa baths, and private outdoor tubs. There’s a tennis court, swimming pool, sauna and gym all on-site. It is the perfect base for skiing, walking, biking, fishing, wine tasting or just relaxing around the lodge with its stunning views. Sleep in the silence of the countryside and wake to a leisurely breakfast before setting out on another day of adventure. For more information go to www.tintubwanaka.co.nz/

The Sounds Retreat - Marlborough Sounds
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/t/the-sounds-retreat.jpg
The Sounds Retreat is a new luxury lodge for two located on the edge of Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough.The lodge ‘suite’ is open plan, with a king-size bed, flat-screen TV, spacious bathroom, as well as a gym and hot tub. Enjoy native forest walks right on the doorstep, dining on the deck under a canopy of stars, decadent cuisine by the in-house chef and perhaps even watch a pod of dolphins from the deck. Biking, fishing and kayaking are all available from the doorstep as well as wine tasting. For more information go to www.thesoundsretreat.co.nz/

Eco B&B Kokohuia Lodge - Hokianga, North Island
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/k/kokohuia.jpg
Kokohuia Lodge has stunning views of Hokianga Harbour and sand dunes and is perched above the native bush, accommodating just one couple. It is sophisticated and private and has been constructed to be highly sustainable, off-grid, producing solar electricity and solar hot water. The hectare of native bush, maturing orchards and gardens is managed organically. With a king size bed, organic cotton linen and a free standing double bath, the lodge is the perfect romantic retreat. For more information go to www.kokohuialodge.co.nz/

The White House - Black Barn, Hawke's Bay
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/h/hawkes-bay.jpg
Waimarama is a superb long stretch of sandy beach south of Cape Kidnappers facing east to the rising sun and the Pacific Ocean. While it usually experiences large rolling surf, it is excellent for swimming, surfing, fishing and walking. Here is located the new home rental, The White House, positioned to maximise privacy, shelter, views and sun. The house has six bedrooms and four bathrooms with a state of the art kitchen. Prepared meals can be pre-ordered and any activity can be arranged including private fishing guides to some of New Zealand’s best trout fishing rivers. For more information go to www.blackbarn.com/retreatdetail/49/the-white-house

Westhaven Luxury Lodge - West Coast
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/w/westhaven.jpg
Enjoy the peaceful beauty of New Zealand's nature at Westhaven Luxury Lodge. The small exclusive lodge offers luxury accommodation in a relaxed and intimate setting surrounded by the beautiful, rugged coastal wilderness of New Zealand's West Coast. Engulfed by miles of pristine wilderness, here you will find time to ponder, unwind and recharge. This Middle-earth setting provides an escape from the bustle of daily life with an atmosphere of tranquillity. For more information go to www.westhavenretreat.com

The Oyster Inn - Waiheke Island
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/500/o/oyster-inn.jpg
Oyster Inn features a large restaurant, private event space, beach shop and three beautifully appointed guest rooms with fantastic views. Styled on the timeless Kiwi bach with a fresh modern touch, it’s described as “stylish but unpretentious, reinterpreting beachside chic with warmth and authenticity”. Guest rooms have been designed for comfort with details such as super soft cotton sheets on extra-large king size beds, under-floor heating, stylish bath products in large ensuite bathrooms. Guests will be picked up from the ferry pier in the inn’s vintage Volkswagen Kombi van that is also available for private island and wine tours. For more information go to www.theoysterinn.co.nz/

Matamata ready for Hobbit tourism boom (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848908)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7034306571_16b4ca2d8e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034306571/)
30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034306571/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The pub featured in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies will become the centre piece of Matamata's Hobbiton Tour. More than 50 tradespeople and landscapers are working around the clock on the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour in Matamata to get the interior of the large Green Dragon Pub completed in time for the world premiere of Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington next Wednesday night. Because from Thursday all eyes will turn to the small Waikato town of Matamata as dignitaries including Prime Minister John Key and international media are the first to set foot inside the Green Dragon Pub as part of the movie tour before descending on the town's main street for a party. Details of the pub are being kept under wraps by movie maker Warner Brothers but, like the 44 hobbit holes, it is promised to be as authentic as possible. The pub will be the first building on the set which tourists can enter and those who complete the tour will be treated to either a warm Hobbit-style English beer, cold amber ale, cider and ginger ale from ceramic beer steins. Hobbiton Movie Set Tours general manager Russell Alexander had huge expectations for what the launch of the first of the three Hobbit movies would do for the tour operation. The business is a joint venture between him and Mr Jackson. Mr Alexander said next week's launch would have more international media coverage than last year's Rugby World Cup and was bracing himself for an influx of Tolkien fans during the next three months. From December the number of hosted tours would double to 22 a day and 32 more staff had been hired in anticipation. Matamata Public Relations Association manager Sue Whiting, who also runs the iSite, was convinced the number of visitors coming into the town would surpass the 360,000 who arrived in 2004 at the peak of the Lord of the Rings hype. She said the iSite's $200,000 transformation to a Gatehouse which would be officially opened next Thursday would be an attraction in its own right. "We were a toilet and takeaway stop and now we are a must see destination. For a small town it's phenomenal, I guess it's regarded as a miracle that this happened to our small town." Matamata-Piako mayor Hugh Vercoe said the movie would be a significant boost to the town's economy long term. However Williams Jewellery partner Bret Williams was more sceptical about the high numbers of tourists predicted by the iSite and did not think it would bring in more people than Lord of the Rings did. "I could be completely wrong, I hope so for the sake of the town I am, but I just don't get the feeling it will take off again and there will be a big rush." Redoubt Bar and Eatery owner Jacob Henderson was cautiously optimistic and said local diners still represented about 80 per cent of his business. "We haven't put extra staff on or done any structural changes, we are just ready to go for a busy night." But Absolute Cafe owner Lisa Samuel had already noticed a big boost in her business and began opening on Sundays earlier this month when she realised the town was full and no one was open to serve coffee to the tourists waiting for the buses to take them to Hobbiton.

Number crunching
*
100,000 visitors to Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, up from 11,000 visitors in 2002
*
90 per cent of people doing the tour are overseas tourists
*
$200,000 Matamata's iSite transformation into a Gatehouse
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$100m Warner Bros have spent promoting the Hobbit movie

Chinese star's wedding boon for tourism (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848887)

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NZ 1 282 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/62697903@N00/3304770894/) by damn_camera (http://www.flickr.com/people/62697903@N00/), on Flickr

A popular Chinese actress' Kiwi wedding in Queenstown could turn New Zealand into the number one wedding destination for the Chinese, says an airline official. The South Island wedding of 2010 Golden Eagle best actress Yao Chen to her photographer husband Cao Yu in the South Island town has been reported more than 2.4 million times on various Chinese news sites and portals, and more than 110,000 were also discussing it on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter/Facebook. The My Own Swordsman star, who is also Tourism New Zealand's brand ambassador for China, holds the record of having the highest number of followers on Weibo, with more than 26 million. She posted photos of her wedding and activities she had done in and around Queenstown on Weibo, sparking wide interest and comments on New Zealand as a holiday destination. The 33-year-old star is the third most followed micro-blogger in the world after Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, and is ahead of President Barack Obama. Chinese media reported that Yao Chen spent about 1 million yuan, or about $200,000, on her Queenstown wedding, to which she invited only a few dozen friends and relatives. The first pictures were released on Saturday afternoon through her microblog, and the ceremony at St Peter's Church was described as simple, solemn and warm. "Getting married overseas is becoming increasingly popular among the younger Chinese, and Yao Chen's posts show New Zealand as the perfect scenic place for them to do that," said Sarah Xu, of China Southern Airlines. "Millions in China are talking about her wedding, and I am sure New Zealand could become the number one choice for many Chinese couples who want an overseas wedding." The airline, China's largest, will be bringing between 250 and 300 travel agents to Auckland next month for its annual general meeting, where it will discuss ways to promote the region, including as a wedding destination. Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said the wedding sparked a media frenzy in China, and had boosted New Zealand's and Queenstown's profile significantly overnight. "We're thrilled they chose to get married in Queenstown and enjoy some unique and memorable experiences here," Mr Budd said. Tourism New Zealand spokeswoman Emma Carter said between 30,000 and 40,000 tourists came to New Zealand to get married or for a honeymoon last year, spending about $130 million. "Their average expenditure is around $3800 each ... which is quite a high spend per person. The average tourist spends $2300," she said.

'Unique' Waitomo Motel Takes Top World Hospitality Award (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1211/S00882/unique-waitomo-motel-takes-top-world-hospitality-award.htm)

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Visitor Centre at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves (http://www.flickr.com/photos/4nitsirk/6780902995/) by 4nitsirk (http://www.flickr.com/people/4nitsirk/), on Flickr

Kiwi ingenuity made the difference when motelier and raconteur Barry Woods took his black singlet and gumboots to Paris this month and came away with a top international accolade for his unique Waitomo motel business. Barry's motel complex, Woodlyn Park near Waitamo Caves, was voted Most Innovative Hotel Concept at the 2012 Worldwide Hospitality Awards in Paris. Woodlyn Park scooped 72 percent of the votes, the greatest margin seen in the history of the awards. The award recognises a new concept, a new service or an initiative done by an hotel group or hotel brand or an independent hotel, a new vision of comfort or a better service performance regarding general settings, space management, technology and services and covers the whole hotel or specific amenities. Reflecting on the award and a win that's swung the world hospitality and tourism spotlight on Waitomo, Waikato and New Zealand Barry says the hours leading up to his departure for Paris for the judging ceremony were not without a drop of tension. "Getting to the awards made mincemeat of our minimal budget but at the last minute we learned that, as a finalist, we were expected to make presentation in support of our entry," he says. "We decided at that late stage to make a video so we put together a great film clip - two amateurs in the back of a tin shed just three days before flying out to France - but I reckon the film of me in my Swani and gumboots did the job, the panel and the audience in Paris loved it. "All we knew at that stage was we were one of the three finalists selected in the Most Innovative category - that was an achievement enough but our video presentation did the rest for us." Barry, AKA the entertainer Billy Black, is no stranger to the stage and the spotlight but the scope of the event in the grandeur of the InterContinental Paris-Le Grand Hotel got the better of him.

"Over the last 15 years I've spent a lot of time on stage entertaining with my show at Waitomo and around New Zealand and nerves don’t really get to me; but when we walked into the Le Grand’s amazing marbled Opera Room, its stained glass dome and massive chandeliers, I actually started to tense up," he says. " When I was eventually called up on stage and then announced as winner I was absolutely speechless. With managers, CEOs and the founding members of huge operations making up the audience and judging the participants throughout the evening, it was a true David and Goliath story as Woodlyn Park not only won the award, but won by the greatest margin ever seen in the history of the awards". He says that not only was this a personal win for him, but a great showcasing opportunity for New Zealand tourism. “I couldn’t get any interest from Tourism NZ so I had to go it alone … one little old Kiwi against major players in the hospitality industry. So to bring home a world award, having knocked out these big guys is a win for all the small unrecognised tourism businesses in New Zealand. "Representatives of the hospitality industry on all levels; managers, CEOs, journalists and the like were blown away by the Woodlyn Park concept saying 'We are definitely coming to New Zealand, we want to see this place,'.” Woodlyn Park has unique accommodation – two accommodation units are in a Bristol Freighter aircraft, there's a unit in a 1918 train, five units in a World War II Patrol Boat and two units are unique Hobbit motels. The complex is close to Waitomo Caves and features Billy Black's Kiwi Culture Show, a live show covering the complete story on New Zealand's country life from native forest to farmland.

New Zealand Cruises on Princess Cruises
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Kiwis put Hanmer top (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10849748)

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PICT0414 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_ryan/2072836535/) by Matt_Ryan (http://www.flickr.com/people/matt_ryan/), on Flickr

The 101 best things about New Zealand have been listed - and there are a few you wouldn't expect. The six-week voting campaign for the Automobile Association Tourism 101 Must-Do's clocked up 283,000 votes, split over 1600 attractions from the Far North to the deep South. There are huge shifts from the previous list in 2006. Some attractions clearly rallied supporters to vote. The Waterworks in Coromandel promised a free-entry day if the theme park made the list. Owner Jeff Howarth said the staff would be excited about making the number 20 position. "Being on the list is amazing news," he said. Howarth and his staff campaigned hard. He leaflet-dropped Cuba Mall during a trip to Wellington and another worker pamphleted Queen St in Auckland. One surprise entry, perhaps, is the little-known Wairere Boulders in Northland, which ranked number 16. Co-owner Felix Schaad (picture) said the attraction was gaining a reputation and he was delighted Facebook fans had backed the spectacular basalt rock formations. Overall, voters showed a preference for South Island scenic cruises, healing thermal waters and spectacular scenic ranges nationwide. Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa in Canterbury was voted number one, followed by Rotorua's Polynesian Spa, Akaroa's Harbour Nature Cruises and Heliview Taranaki. Ranking fifth is The Otago Rail Trail. Womad has taken centre stage at number 17 as the most voted-for event. Two sweet treats made their debut - Pineapple Lumps (60) and pavlova (98). The total number of votes increased by more than 42 per cent from 2006, said AA Tourism spokeswoman Rebecca Cherry.

New TranzAlpine carriages launched (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10849970)

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Southern Alps-Key Summit-Routeburn Track-New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/5601775707/) by mikemellinger (http://www.flickr.com/people/theworldismycanvas/), on Flickr

New carriages allowing for the ultimate passenger viewing experience will get their first run on the TranzAlpine service this morning. The carriages feature 52 sq m of glass giving panoramic views around the side and through the roof, as well as HD screens and GPS triggered commentary. KiwiRail General Manager of Passenger Services Deborah Hume says the new carriages will provide an even greater experience for the passengers. "It's outrageous how much glass there is," she said. "All completely safe, engineering tested, but it's more glass than you can imagine actually." The new carriages mark 25 years since the service between Christchurch and Greymouth began.

100% Middle-earth at the official opening of Hobbiton (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1211/S01187/100-middle-earth-at-the-official-opening-of-hobbiton.htm)

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7034306571/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

International media in town for the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, were given a final taste of 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand today (29 November) before departing the country. Tourism New Zealand and its NZ Inc partners today concluded a highly successful week of media hosting with an event at Hobbiton Movie Set and Tours, and the official opening of the Green Dragon Inn by Prime Minister John Key. More than 100 international media who attended the Wellington World Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, were farewelled from New Zealand at the place where all the movie’s adventures began – Hobbiton. The event also marked the end of months of work to build and prepare the Green Dragon Inn, now open to Hobbiton visitors who can enjoy a Middle-earth beer at the end of their tours. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says hosting the media at Hobbiton Movie Set and Tours was the perfect end to a hugely successful week of media activity. “Hobbiton is the ultimate example of Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign. “Anyone who thinks that Hobbiton is a fantasy land that exists only on the screen will see that it is actually a real place – not only here in Matamata, New Zealand at Hobbiton, but also throughout the country where visitors can experience for themselves a range of unique activities within those landscapes.” General Manager of Hobbiton Movie Set and Tours Russell Alexander says he anticipated the official opening will mark the start of a new chapter for the operation with hosted tours doubling to 22 a day throughout December. “Having the excitement of Premiere week ending with the official opening of Hobbiton will set the scene for fans eager to experience a slice of Middle-earth for themselves – and ensure Hobbiton is in the spot-light for all visitors through Matamata.” Media at Hobbiton were treated to a true taste of New Zealand with food from top chef Martin Bosley and trophy award winning New Zealand wines from the 2012 Air New Zealand Wine Awards. A number of international media will stay on in the country for a further tourism experience, hosted by Tourism New Zealand. Kevin says: “We know that the stories this media group will write and broadcast will be seen and read by hundreds of millions of people, and that New Zealand is likely to feature heavily in many of them.” Partners in the event included Tourism New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Film New Zealand, New Zealand Film Commission, Air New Zealand and Wine Growers New Zealand.

Eco-tourism experience takes Waiheke Island to new heights (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1212/S00031/eco-tourism-experience-takes-waiheke-island-to-new-heights.htm)

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Auckland Mayor Len Brown became one of the first to enjoy a high flying environmental experience at Waiheke Island’s new EcoZip Adventures today. The activity – the only one of its kind in Auckland – combines spectacular vistas with adventure and education. Visitors ride on three 200 metre ziplines over a vineyard and mature tree canopy and finish with a guided walk through 300-year-old pristine native bush. The Mayor flew down the first zipline and was impressed with the experience, saying it exemplifies what is so special about Auckland as a destination. “It’s an absolute blast! It makes the most of our amazing natural setting, with the bush, harbour and city in the distance. The zipline really shows off everything Auckland has to offer,” he says. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Acting General Manager Destination, Jason Hill, says the new eco-tourism venture is a welcome addition to the popular visitor destination of Waiheke Island, which is renowned for its excellent vineyards. “It’s great to see this unique activity launch on Waiheke to complement the island’s outstanding food and wine offering. EcoZip’s combination of fun, adventure and nature is something that will resonate with many visitors from our key markets of Australia, China, North America and the United Kingdom,” he says. “We are working to encourage both domestic and international visitors to stay longer in the Auckland region and new tourism activities help add to our destination’s appeal.” Since opening in November, EcoZip Adventures has attracted people of all ages from around New Zealand and offshore. EcoZip Adventures Managing Director Gavin Oliver says the experience is more an environmental adventure than a thrill seekers’ ride. “There are countless exhilarating adventure activities around New Zealand. What EcoZip has created is a chance for people to experience and learn about our native bush – to literally see it from new angles,” he says. Waiheke Island is located 35 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. Known as the ‘island of wine’ for its 30 boutique vineyards, Waiheke also attracts visitors for its olive groves, sandy beaches and thriving arts scene. ATEED works to help drive Auckland’s visitor economy and contribute to making Auckland the world’s most liveable city. www.ecozipadventures.co.nz

X marks the spot on passport for transgender travellers (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10852012)

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Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11410065@N02/6845706289/) by Karl Hipolito (http://www.flickr.com/people/11410065@N02/), on Flickr

New Zealand's tiny transgender community is celebrating a quiet change that allows people to change their gender on their passports by a simple declaration. The change, which came into force on Friday without any public announcement, allows people to state their gender as male, female or "X" (indeterminate/unspecified), without the need to change their birth certificates or citizenship records. "It's amazing," said Joey Macdonald, an Auckland mental health worker who changed the gender on his passport from female to "X" and who chairs the transgender support group GenderBridge. "It means that on this particular provision, New Zealand is leading the way and is one of the leading countries in terms of reducing barriers to having a national identity document for transpeople." A Human Rights Commission report recommended in 2008 that people should have the right to change their gender on their passports and other documents. The law was changed in 2009 to allow changes from male to female or vice versa by a declaration from the Family Court, and a change from either gender to "X" by a statutory declaration. A Family Court declaration is still required for a male/female gender change on citizenship documents, but this policy is under review. A Passport Office spokesman said gender changes on passports could now be made purely by a statutory declaration stating a person's preferred sex or gender identity and how long they have had that identity. The passport application form still asks people to tick either male or female and gives no indication of any other option, but the spokesman said the "X" option was known to the transgender community. The commission report said about 400 people recorded their gender as "X". Mr Macdonald, 28, changed his passport to "X" two months ago and has just been to Melbourne and back without raising any eyebrows. He said he grew up happily as a girl at Bethells Beach without the need to question his identity.

KiwiRail Adds Northern Explorer Stop for Waitomo (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00219/kiwirail-adds-northern-explorer-stop-for-waitomo.htm)

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Northern Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigsyd/7430747908/) by craigsydnz (http://www.flickr.com/people/craigsyd/), on Flickr

KiwiRail is reinstating the Otorohanga stop on its Northern Explorer train service between Auckland and Wellington for the tourism destination of Waitomo Caves. The Otorohanga (Waitomo) stop is being reintroduced on a “booked stop” basis for one or more passengers from Monday 10 December. “KiwiRail is working closely with Destination Waitomo and Hamilton and Waikato Tourism to develop tourism packages so that passengers can book to get off at Otorohanga and explore the tourism attractions on offer in the Waitomo and Waikato region,” says KiwiRail’s General Manager of Passenger Services, Deborah Hume. The Waitomo Scenic Escapes packages will include train fares, accommodation and attractions in one online transaction, and will be introduced in the New Year. “Waitomo alone has in excess of 350,000 annual visitors, with around 5,000 a day in peak season; and the region also supports a number of high end tourist activities," Ms Hume says. When the Overlander was in service, the passenger demand for Otorohanga had been in decline for some years, with two people a day on average getting on or off the train at this stop. The new Northern Explorer schedule does not offer a return train departing Otorohanga on the same day, so there were some constraints that needed to be worked through before reinstating a stop at Otorohanga, says Ms Hume. “That’s why we’ve reintroduced it on a booked stop basis. The stop will be made to pick up and drop off booked passengers. If there are no bookings, the train won’t stop. “The new Northern Explorer service, which was launched in June this year, is geared towards both international and domestic tourists. We have always maintained that we are open to opportunities to increase tourism to various districts along the Northern Explorer train route. "We certainly see Waitomo and the Waikato region as a great tourist destination and we are keen to work with Hamilton and Waikato Tourism, as well as other tourist organisations in the North Island, to help grow tourist numbers in the smaller regions. We are looking forward to launching our Scenic Escapes packages for the Otorohanga (Waitomo) stop and tapping into the potential for increasing tourism to the Waikato region,” Ms Hume says.

Awards honour South Island's best wine tourism ventures (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1212/S00153/awards-honour-south-islands-best-wine-tourism-ventures.htm)

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CRAGGY RANGE VINEYARD (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5213259491/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Yealands Estate has won a top international wine tourism award for the third year in a row. Councillor Sue Wells will present Yealands Estate with its Best of Wine Tourism award for sustainable wine tourism practices at tomorrow's New World Food and Wine Festival in Hagley Park. "It's great to see Christchurch and South Island wineries getting global recognition and promoting the region as a result," says Sue Wells. The awards are run by Great Wine Capitals, a network of nine cities in the northern and southern hemispheres that share a key economic and cultural asset -- their internationally renowned wine regions. Christchurch | South Island, which includes the Waipara Valley, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and Central Otago wine regions, belongs to the exclusive network. Yealands Estate founder, Peter Yealands, says the international recognition reflects the passion the Yealands team has for sharing their sustainability story. "We are passionate about our sustainability practices and enjoy the opportunity to share what makes us different with the visitors who come to our winery. At our cellar door we aim to create a unique experience, which showcases our dedication to making quality wine in an innovative way," says Peter Yealands. The panel of judges commended Yealands Estate for leading from the front and demonstrating their commitment to sustainability, rather than just talking about it. The South Island's regional Best of Wine Tourism Award winners include Melton Estate, in West Melton near Christchurch, who won the wine tourism restaurant category ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1212/S00153/awards-honour-south-islands-best-wine-tourism-ventures.htm)

Guest nights up in October (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00431/guest-nights-up-in-october.htm)

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HAWKE'S BAY 27 NOV 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5242648556/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

New Zealand guest nights (after removing seasonal variation) rose 4.1 percent in October 2012 compared with September 2012, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows a fall of 1.4 percent in September. “Guest nights were up in both the North and South islands,” industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno said. “The change was mostly caused by more guest nights in the Auckland and Otago regions.” Monthly movements for October 2012 (after removing seasonal variation) were:
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New Zealand guest nights rose 4.1 percent, following a fall of 1.4 percent in September.
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International guest nights rose 10.3 percent, and domestic guest nights rose 2.6 percent.
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North Island guest nights rose 3.4 percent, and South Island guest nights rose 4.3 percent.
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Guest nights for all accommodation types rose.

The national trend for guest nights appears to be flat in recent months. The trend for South Island guest nights appears to be slowly rising, while the North Island guest nights trend remains below its highest-ever peak in August 2011. Trend movements can change when future months are added to the time series. The Accommodation Survey records guests staying in hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, and holiday parks in New Zealand each month.

100% Middle-earth campaign wins world’s best travel award (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00487/100-middle-earth-campaign-wins-worlds-best-travel-award.htm)

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Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign has taken out the award for ‘World's Leading Destination Marketing Campaign’ in the World Travel Awards 2012 Grand Final. The win was announced at a red-carpet awards gala ceremony in New Delhi last night. The evening marks the culmination of a year-long search by The World Travel Awards for the very best in travel and tourism including destination marketing campaign. The award winners were decided by tourism professionals in over 171 countries across the globe including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says; “It is a huge honour to win this category, recognising the strength and effectiveness of our new 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign. “We believe that we have identified a valuable opportunity to enhance the country's international profile through its association with the filming of The Hobbit trilogy. “Through our new 100% Pure New Zealand campaign we aim to leverage the attention that New Zealand will receive by starring in these movies, and convert that attention into travel. “Receiving recognition from the international tourism industry for the work we are doing is a great achievement.” ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00487/100-middle-earth-campaign-wins-worlds-best-travel-award.htm)

Hobbit already boosting NZ tourism (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10854028)

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nz_hobbiton_IMG_8639_40_41_tonemapped (http://www.flickr.com/photos/piterpan/7141113489/) by Stas Kulesh (http://www.flickr.com/people/piterpan/), on Flickr

The Hobbit trilogy is already being credited with a big boost to New Zealand tourism with flight bookings jumping significantly as fans flock here for a taste of Middle-earth. A farm near Matamata in Waikato and parts of the Wellington region have become Hobbit tourist attractions, and fans from around the world and coming in their droves to see the backdrop to the films. Flight bookings to New Zealand through online travel site Expedia have increased 84 per cent, up 50 per cent compared to the same month last year, the Daily Mail reported. Another search engine, Skyscanner, revealed similar interest, with bookings on flights to Wellington up 117 per cent compared to December last year. Air New Zealand was benefiting from the film, even before its release. The airline paid for the rights to be the "official airline of Middle-earth". Bookings for the airline from the United States almost doubled the day before last month's Wellington premiere of the first film in the trilogy and were up by a third in Japan following a Hobbit promotion. Tourism New Zealand is spending $10 million promoting The Hobbit trilogy. Stars of the film including Australian actress Cate Blanchett attended the London premiere on Wednesday.

KiwiRail Scenic Journeys on Facebook (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00761/kiwirail-scenic-journeys-on-facebook.htm)

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24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483465482/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

KiwiRail Scenic Journeys has launched its own Facebook page as a further means to connect with both New Zealanders and tourists and promote Scenic’s long-distance train trips. “We offer some amazing rail journeys and the page is a great way for us to engage with visitors from all over the world, as well as locals, and provide them with a way to share their experiences on our services,” says Scenic Marketing Manager, Richard Keenan. The site is simple to navigate and provides some great photo montages of the scenic rail routes. “KiwiRail Scenic provides a travel experience that is unique and quite different from what you can experience by any other transport mode —be it via car, bus or plane. It really is a New Zealand tourism experience like no other. “Word of mouth matters, especially on Facebook. To get your fans talking about you, the key is to make it easy to spread the word. “Over the next little while, we will be encouraging our customers and industry peers to visit the KiwiRail Scenic Facebook page, ‘like’ us and share their comments on posts,” Mr Keenan says.

Cheaper flights put Queenstown ahead (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10857091)

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QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946705878/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Queenstown has beaten out the Coromandel as New Zealanders' favourite holiday spot at home and Australia is our preferred overseas destination. Cheaper domestic air travel has pulled the southern town, famed for its stunning position on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, adventure sports and skiing, within easier reach of Kiwi holiday-makers. A Herald-DigiPoll survey asked New Zealanders their preferred holiday destinations. Queenstown was the preferred domestic destination of 25.7 per cent of those polled, followed by Coromandel at 22.3 per cent, Bay of Islands at 20.7 per cent, and Nelson at 13 per cent. The Coromandel had topped the same poll last summer. Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said the town's pricey reputation had greatly diminished over the past two years. That was partly due to the falling price of airfares from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. This month Queenstown Airport will see a 17 per cent increase in inbound flights compared with January last year. Air New Zealand has increased its capacity on direct services between Auckland and Queenstown by 32 per cent; up to five services on some days ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10857091)

Tourism industry confidence levels at a high (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00791/tourism-industry-confidence-levels-at-a-high.htm)

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Southland, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelynfriisart/3531755413/) by NewCreatioNZ (http://www.flickr.com/people/jocelynfriisart/), on Flickr

The tourism industry’s confidence levels are the highest they’ve been since September 2011 when the end of the Rugby World Cup triggered a slump. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Tourism Industry Monitor, published today, shows that the business confidence index has risen from 102 to 124 this quarter—bouncing back from lows of 60 and 52 in March and July 2012 respectively. Peter Ellis, acting manager of MBIE’s Tourism Research and Evaluation team, says that tourism businesses’ performance expectations are used to create the business confidence index. “The Tourism Industry Monitor essentially reflects the industry’s attitude—it’s a way that we can take the pulse of the industry through the highs and lows that come with major events and quite often with the differing seasons.” The two most positive factors contributing to tourism businesses’ increased expectations this quarter are the domestic and international visitor markets. Global economic conditions remain the factor of most concern. “The monitor reflects the reality of the tourism industry’s concerns in tough economic times and it’s encouraging to see that overall tourism business confidence has increased from its comparatively low levels in the past year. We’ve also seen an end for now to the strong regional differences that were obvious in 2011; tourism industry confidence has been basically the same in the south island as the north in the past six months,” Mr Ellis says ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00791/tourism-industry-confidence-levels-at-a-high.htm)

November international visitor arrivals steady (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00835/november-international-visitor-arrivals-steady.htm)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3418/3865766615_df8852b205_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3865766615/)
New Zealand, North Island-214 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3865766615/) by Tristan27 (http://www.flickr.com/people/tr1stan27/), on Flickr

Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today have confirmed that international visitor arrivals to New Zealand were up by 0.8 per cent for the month of November. Total arrivals for the year ending November were marginally down by 0.7 per cent compared to the previous 12 months which included the significant Rugby World Cup 2011 arrivals. “Comparing total arrivals for year ending November 2012 against 2010 figures we see an increase of 1.7 per cent, signifying small underlying growth when we take out the impact of the RWC 2011,” says Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive Tourism New Zealand. “As we head into the summer high-season, it is encouraging to see that visitor arrivals have been maintained.” Australian visitor arrivals were up 2.5 per cent for the month while arrivals were up 1.0 per cent for the year. Arrivals from Asia remain strong with China, Japan, Indonesia and Korea all showing strong growth. The increase in arrivals from Japan, up 3.3 per cent in November, indicates on-going recovery in the market. Chinese arrivals grew 17.6 per cent for the month, seeing China overtake the United Kingdom to become New Zealand’s second biggest source of visitors in the November 2012 year ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00835/november-international-visitor-arrivals-steady.htm)

Free WiFi helps promote NZ visitor experience (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00826/free-wifi-helps-promote-nz-visitor-experience.htm)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3481/3929575037_63056415c3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3929575037/)
New Zealand, South Island-169 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tr1stan27/3929575037/) by Tristan27 (http://www.flickr.com/people/tr1stan27/), on Flickr

Telecom’s trial of free WiFi at holiday hotspots around New Zealand is being welcomed by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA). Telecom is installing more than 120 free WiFi hotspots at 43 popular holiday locations over summer to help people stay connected via their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices. “We fully support this Telecom trial because it will help improve the holiday experiences of both New Zealanders and our international visitors,” TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden says. “More and more travellers are taking their mobile devices on holiday with them, to stay in touch with family and friends, and share their holiday experiences. Personal stories about great travel experiences are incredibly important in marketing New Zealand as a visitor destination and free WiFi will encourage more people to share their holiday activities immediately.” All travellers need to sign up for this service is a New Zealand mobile number that can receive TXT messages.

Chinese edge out Brits as NZ's second-biggest visitor pool (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1212/S00824/chinese-edge-out-brits-as-nzs-second-biggest-visitor-pool.htm)

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/6/7768716_e034c9338e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/euthanised/7768716/)
St&amp;St (http://www.flickr.com/photos/euthanised/7768716/) by euthanised (http://www.flickr.com/people/euthanised/), on Flickr

A 38 percent jump in the annual number of Chinese touching down in New Zealand has seen the world's most populous nation topple the UK as NZ's second-biggest pool for visitors, though still well behind Australia. There were some 194,752 short-term Chinese arrivals in the 12 months ended Nov. 30, up from 141,289 a year earlier and 1200,222 in 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand. That trumped the 191,360 British short-term visitors, which fell an annual 17 percent, though is still dwarfed by the 1.16 million Australian visitors. "Arrivals from China have grown dramatically in the last 20 years, from only 3,300 in 1992," said population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn. "In contrast, visitor numbers from the United Kingdom have been declining for the last five years." The rising number of Chinese visitors comes as New Zealand draws closer with the rising economic powerhouse, with local businesses looking to do more in the world's second-biggest economy and the government beginning to reap the benefits from signing a free trade agreement with China in 2008. About 71 percent of Chinese visitors in the November year came for a holiday, with 12 percent visiting friends or family, and 10 percent coming to do business. Today's figures showed the number of short-term arrivals to New Zealand rose 0.8 percent to 232,119 in November from the same month a year earlier, underpinned by more Chinese and Australian visitors.

Waiheke Island must-see, says NY Times (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859154)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2303/5822978123_168cf78439_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5822978123/)
22 MAY 11 18°C WAIHEKE ISLAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5822978123/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8115221249_206f75c91a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8115221249/)
30 SEP 12 19°C WAIHEKE ISLAND TE WHAU VINEYARD (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8115221249/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Waiheke Island has been dubbed a must-visit destination for 2013 by the New York Times - a tourism coup an Auckland advertising executive says many would give their eye teeth for. Waiheke shared the eclectic list with megacities such as Rio de Janeiro, the far-flung Falkland Islands, romantic Paris, the Republic of Congo and ski resort Jackson Hole in Wyoming. The newspaper noted the island's vineyards, its proximity to Auckland, and mentions "embracing its bohemian side". It pitched the biennial arts festival Headland Sculpture on the Gulf, which starts on January 25 and features 30 new pieces "installed along a stunningly scenic coastal path", as part of that attraction for travellers. Whybin/TBWA advertising group chief executive David Walden said the paper's reach and reputation was priceless. "It talks to a hell of a lot of people. It's seen as impartial, it gets a conversation going and I think if you're a PR person you'd give your eye teeth to get your client on that list. "The reality is New Zealand has a very small marketing budget," he said. "To come here is a big ask, it's an expensive place to fly to and you have to make a commitment in terms of time ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859154)

Whangamata still favourite spot to rent a bach (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859157)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5281/5269308939_703e04f50a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5269308939/)
WHANGAMATA 04 DEC 10 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5269308939/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Whangamata has cemented itself as the top summer holiday spot for the fifth year running, according to home booking website Bookabach. The site measures total nights booked across the 6604 homes which belong to its site across nearly six weeks, December 1 to January 11. Kiwi holidaymakers booked 2506 nights at the Coromandel town, beating Wanaka which was booked for 2222 nights, a record which meant it retained second. Bookabach CEO Peter Miles said average rental prices for the top 10 destinations increased by 5 per cent to $326 per night. Luxury getaways in Queenstown and Waiheke Island remained high on the agenda with renters willing to pay an average nightly rental of $440 or above for those locations. "Holidaymakers, probably many of them Aucklanders, were happy to pay an average of $466 per night for a place at Oneroa to get away from the city during the Christmas and New Year break," Mr Miles said. "Raglan is still great value at an average of $201 per night."

Top five
Destinations by nights booked on website Bookabach (Dec 1 to Jan 11)

2506 Whangamata
2222 Lake Wanaka
1847 Mangawhai Heads
1711 Whitianga
1666 Mt Maunganui

Auckland on top again (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1301/S00258/auckland-on-top-again.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8383019278_96427442e2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8383019278/)
29 DEC 12 27°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8383019278/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The North Island of New Zealand has dominated leading travel website Wotif.co.nz’s annual top destinations list for the third year in a row. With seven destinations in the top ten, the North Island has maintained its position as the most booked region last year. The top five destinations in the North Island for 2012, based on bookings on Wotif.co.nz, included Auckland and Wellington which came in on top, followed by Rotorua, Taupo and Hamilton consecutively.

Top 5 North Island destinations:

1. Auckland

2. Wellington

3. Rotorua

4. Taupo

5. Hamilton

LOVE LOVE LOVE NZ...would love to visit again, maybe next time on a cruise ship from MEL. Seeing Melbourne's skyline as its sailing out then reaching NZ ports would be a memorable experience.

LOVE LOVE LOVE NZ...would love to visit again, maybe next time on a cruise ship from MEL. Seeing Melbourne's skyline as its sailing out then reaching NZ ports would be a memorable experience.

We are thinking the same thing, we would like to set sail from AKL to MEL - I need my MEL fix ;)

NZ Tourism Statistics Infographic (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1301/S00201/nz-tourism-statistics-infographic.htm)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5168/5244685635_7ec694a59d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/45503563@N03/5244685635/)
View of Tunnel Beach (http://www.flickr.com/photos/45503563@N03/5244685635/) by fankhauser24 (http://www.flickr.com/people/45503563@N03/), on Flickr

New Zealand has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations for visitors from all around the world, and here at GO Rentals we love meeting and looking after all sorts of different people from across the globe as they set out to explore this beautiful country we are lucky enough to call home. We decided it would be interesting to find out a bit more about our New Zealand visitors, so we put together this infographic to tell us more about where our visitors come from, why they come to New Zealand, where they go, what they do, and how they get around while they are here.

Key Observations:

• 44% of Visitors came from Australia

• 47% of Visitors came for Holidays

• Auckland has been most popular place to stay for the Visitors

• Germans spent more days in NZ than visitors from any other country

• Koreans spent more money than any other nationalities

Kiwis rated among world's best accommodation (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10859770)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6816362311_24a90b7a82_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andynelson/6816362311/)
Dunedin beach (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andynelson/6816362311/) by ReverendMungo (http://www.flickr.com/people/andynelson/), on Flickr

A luxury Queenstown hotel and a Marlborough bed and breakfast are among the world's best accommodation, according to guests. The two businesses beat other accommodation from around the world to receive the rankings, based on feedback from millions of travellers who scored each place on a range of aspects using well-known website TripAdvisor. Both owners were delighted to find out they had been ranked among the world's best in the site's Travellers' Choice Awards. "We were quite stunned," said Matt Diack, owner of Dairy Private Luxury Hotel in Queenstown. His business was rated fourth best in the small hotel category, after hotels in Greece, Belize, and South Africa. Feedback on the site described the New Zealand hotel as "a luxurious yet homey place we couldn't rate highly enough". "Rooms are well appointed, common areas are well suited to privacy or socialising, and the high tea and breakfast were superb," it said. The hotel, which got its name because it used to be the site of a corner dairy, is in the centre of the city ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10859770)

We are thinking the same thing, we would like to set sail from AKL to MEL - I need my MEL fix ;)

All aboard the 'Love Boat'...:yes::kiss::colgate::cheers:

Saying 'I do' 16,000 km from home (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860243)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6034/6424391383_aa7a29a43a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/meredithmullooly/6424391383/)
IMG_1437 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/meredithmullooly/6424391383/) by MeredithMullooly (http://www.flickr.com/people/meredithmullooly/), on Flickr

For Russian bride Tamila Efendieva the "something new" on her wedding day is the country. Efendieva, 27, and her groom Gleb Tumasyev, 39, escaped the rat race of Moscow this month to exchange vows on an isolated mountain in Queenstown. They are one of at least 2000 foreign couples expected to tie the knot at "destination weddings" in New Zealand this year. Figures obtained through Statistics New Zealand reveal continued growth in visitors who register their marriages with the Department of Internal Affairs. More than 10,300 foreign couples married in New Zealand in the past five years compared to just 3900 during a five-year period in the 1980s. Efendieva, a freelance journalist, said she never wanted a large traditional Russian wedding. "For me, the wedding day is something magical and intimate only for two people, it's not for everybody," Efendieva said. "Unfortunately our families were not with us but they also understood and supported us. We will arrange an intimate party for them in Moscow." They chose New Zealand on a random click of the mouse. A Google search of "romantic wedding destinations" pointed to Queenstown and they hired Minetta Hope, owner of The Wedding Company, who arranged their travel-themed day ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860243)

Auckland Sustains Strong Growth In Guest Nights (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1301/S00354/auckland-sustains-strong-growth-in-guest-nights.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6792595061_0a033321b7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6792595061/)
30 JAN 12 25°C AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6792595061/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland continues its trend of strong visitation with guest nights up 11 per cent in November 2012 compared to the previous year, according to the latest results from Statistics New Zealand’s Commercial Accommodation Monitor. Domestic guest nights leaped 25.5 per cent in November off the back of Auckland’s inaugural domestic tourism campaign – led by ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) – as well as a strong events month. During November several major events, including Mary Poppins and the Coldplay and Radiohead concerts, helped to draw domestic visitors to Auckland. For the year end November 2012 Auckland’s total guest nights – both domestic and international – were up 3.4 per cent on the previous year, bucking the national trend of a 1.9 per cent decline. ATEED Acting General Manager Destination Jason Hill says it is excellent to see Auckland’s healthy visitation leading into the busy summer season. “This follows a very strong September and October and sets us up well for the remainder of summer when Auckland is alive with multiple events alongside the diverse range of experiences that attract visitors to our region,” says Mr Hill ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1301/S00354/auckland-sustains-strong-growth-in-guest-nights.htm)

Pullman Auckland ranked Top Hotel Spa in New Zealand (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1301/S00353/pullman-auckland-ranked-top-hotel-spa-in-new-zealand.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8318/8001795801_e2f2ee2bda_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrivalmag/8001795801/)
Polynesian Spa. Thermal hot springs and health spa. Rotorua, New Zealand. model release # 602 &amp; 603 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrivalmag/8001795801/) by Arrival Magazine (http://www.flickr.com/people/arrivalmag/), on Flickr

TripAdvisor has announced the top 10 hotel spas in the South Pacific, with Pullman Auckland’s Spa at the Pullman ranked at #8. Spa at the Pullman is the highest ranked New Zealand hotel spa on the list, which has been compiled by TripAdvisor based on hotel spa reviews.The announcement comes off the back of a successful re-launch of the Spa in 2012 and sets the tone for another successful year in 2013. Rob McIntyre, General Manager of Pullman Auckland says the accolade is particularly pleasing given votes were made by travellers who have experienced the Spa’s renowned five star service. “We have worked hard to maintain exceptional international standards and provide innovative spa treatments at Spa at the Pullman, so it’s fantastic to receive such recognition from our guests,” says Mr McIntyre. “It’s also great for our country’s tourism industry, as it highlights Auckland and Pullman Auckland as a premier travel destination for both locals and international visitors.” ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1301/S00353/pullman-auckland-ranked-top-hotel-spa-in-new-zealand.htm)

TripAdvisor Top 10 Hotel Spas in the South Pacific:

1. Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora – Bora Bora, French Polynesia

2. Hayman Great Barrier Reef – Hayman Island, Australia

3. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa – Sigatoka, Fiji

4. Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji - Sigatoka, Fiji

5. The Langham, Sydney – Sydney, Australia

6. Likuliku Lagoon Resort – Malolo Island, Fiji

7. Park Hyatt Melbourne – Melbourne, Australia

8. Pullman Auckland – Auckland, New Zealand

9. Crown Metropol Melbourne – Melbourne, Australia

10. The Langham Auckland – Auckland, New Zealand

Queenstown hotels voted best in NZ (http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/243088/queenstown-hotels-voted-best-nz)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/4946116727_3d637b16b0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946116727/)
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946116727/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

The top three hotels in New Zealand are in Queenstown, according to guests. Millbrook Resort received top honours in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice 2013 awards, followed by the Hilton Queenstown and Pounamu Apartments. TripAdvisor is an online site which ranks accommodation, eateries and activities according to guests' feedback. Queenstown dominated the top-25 New Zealand hotel category. The Sofitel Queenstown was ranked eighth, the Glebe Apartments 10th, St Moritz Queenstown 12th and the Crowne Plaza Queenstown 18th. Millbrook head of operations Brian Howie said the award was a ''wonderful surprise and testimony to the continued hard work of the entire Millbrook team to ensure we provide all our guests with world-class, five-star service every time''. ''Millbrook will celebrate its 20th birthday in March and this award, which is voted for by our guests, is the perfect way to celebrate this milestone.'' The TripAdvisor awards are in their 11th year. The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel in Queenstown was voted among the world's best, coming fourth in the world small hotel category.

Love your avatar Sydney...:tongue2:;)

Love your avatar Sydney...:tongue2:;)

Thanks :hug:

Campervan trip around NZ makes UK bucket list (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860779)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2434/3613520848_91fcaceb85_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wandasowry/3613520848/)
Australasian gannet, Sula bassana (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wandasowry/3613520848/) by Wanda Sowry (http://www.flickr.com/people/wandasowry/), on Flickr

Travelling around New Zealand in a campervan has beaten a trip to Disney World and an audience with the Queen among the top 50 things Britons want to do before they die, a survey has found. The survey of 2000 adults in the United Kingdom found becoming a millionaire was the most popular bucket list ambition, followed by travelling the world, seeing the Northern Lights, walking the Great Wall of China and becoming mortgage free. A trip around New Zealand in a motorhome came in at 29 out of the top 50 things to do before death, the Daily Mail reported. It was slightly less popular than living and working overseas, a hot air balloon ride and flying a plane - but came ahead of more predictable choices like visiting Disney World, gambling in Los Vegas, driving a Formula 1 racing car, meeting a favourite celebrity and an audience with the Queen. Britons are the third-biggest group of campervan users in New Zealand, accounting for 14 per cent of all rentals in 2011, according to research by Covec released last month ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860779)

Tightly controlled Chinese visitor market under spotlight (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10862206)

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1311/1340184862_7d69fa74fe_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/piotrzurek/1340184862/)
New Chums (http://www.flickr.com/photos/piotrzurek/1340184862/) by Piotr Zurek (http://www.flickr.com/people/piotrzurek/), on Flickr

Tourism groups are looking at ways to reform the tightly controlled Chinese visitor market one industry leader says is failing to deliver the benefits it should. Just under 200,000 Chinese visited New Zealand last year but many are on short trips added on to visits to Australia. Traditionally "dual destination" visitors spend less here. Tourism Industry Association chief executive Martin Snedden said tightly controlled "shopping trips" were not benefiting New Zealand tourism operators or the visitors themselves. "A lot of the revenue is siphoned off before the visitor gets to New Zealand." Snedden has been in the job since the middle of last year and said he was shocked by the system which stemmed from how difficult it is to get a visa to visit this country. "The approved destination status scheme allows certain agents in China to guarantee visas and they do that knowing there's going to be a pre-approved itinerary ... the visitor is told where they're going, where they're going to stay, how they're going to be transported and where they're going to shop. The agents that organise this totally control the visit." ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10862206)

Campervan trip around NZ makes UK bucket list (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10860779)

Oh great, more annoying campervans on NZ roads :lol:

Oh great, more annoying campervans on NZ roads :lol:

[/CENTER]

And more litter on the side of the roads ;)

China luxury award win a boon for NZ tourism industry (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1301/S00623/china-luxury-award-win-a-boon-for-nz-tourism-industry.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/8052189058_cc71efb9e8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/88086514@N08/8052189058/)
Tigers Den Luxury Accommodation and Guest Lodge 25 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/88086514@N08/8052189058/) by TigersDenLuxuryAccommodation (http://www.flickr.com/people/88086514@N08/), on Flickr

New Zealand’s recognition as a luxury destination by Chinese travellers shows efforts to attract more affluent visitors from this market are starting to gain traction, says Martin Snedden, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Chief Executive. New Zealand was awarded the title of “World’s Best Luxury Destination 2013” in the Shanghai Travelers’ Club 2013 Luxury Travel Awards. Three New Zealand businesses also won top awards – Auckland Airport was named World’s Best Airport, Whare Kea Lodge the Best Asia-Pacific Boutique Hotel, and Millbrook, the Best Asia-Pacific Golf Course. “Congratulations to all those winners. Their success will benefit the wider New Zealand tourism industry and boost our reputation in China as a high-quality visitor destination,” says Mr Snedden. “China has grown rapidly to become New Zealand’s second largest visitor market, with around 200,000 arrivals last year. Tourism operators, Tourism New Zealand, other government agencies and TIA are putting a lot of resource into getting more value out of this market, including attracting higher-value visitors and encouraging them to stay longer. “New Zealand’s success in these awards is to be celebrated and will help put us on the map with wealthy Chinese travellers as a must-visit destination.”

Visitor numbers stable in December (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8251447/Visitor-numbers-stable-in-December)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4121/4814506867_f42bc030b1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/syazaazrudin/4814506867/)
New Zealand's treasure (http://www.flickr.com/photos/syazaazrudin/4814506867/) by syaza azrudin (http://www.flickr.com/people/syazaazrudin/), on Flickr

Foreign tourist numbers were flat in December, compared with the same month a year ago, but that reflected more people coming from China and Japan, but a drop off from Australian and British tourists. Statistics New Zealand figures show 364,000 visitor arrivals in December, almost unchanged from December 2011. "Although there wasn't much change in volume from 2011, there were still differences by country," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "Compared with 2011, December 2012 visitor arrivals from China, Japan, and Germany increased, while arrivals from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia decreased." The increase from China continued a growing number of monthly visitor arrivals from that country since May 2010. Japan's increase was a recovery from drops in 2011 after the Christchurch earthquake in February and Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March. In the December 2012 year, 2.565 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, down 1 percent from 2011, when the Rugby World Cup was held. The largest increase by far was in visitors from China, but this was countered by decreases from the United Kingdom, France, and South Africa ... MORE (http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4121/4814506867_f42bc030b1_b.jpg
New Zealand's treasure by syaza azrudin, on Flickr)

When it comes to scenic beauty NZ is in the same league as Canada IMO...absolutely breathtaking.

WANAKA

76e5aGZxgI8

Romancing Middle earth (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10863818)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8419607448_0827d49207_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/penttja/8419607448/)
Middle Earth, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/penttja/8419607448/) by penttja (http://www.flickr.com/people/penttja/), on Flickr

Their eyes met across a room crowded with large, pointy ears. And now a United States couple who met and fell in love while dressed as characters from The Lord of the Rings are dreaming of a trip to Middle-earth. Chris Herzberg and Nadine Palmer, of Augusta in Georgia, met at a comic book convention in 2004. He was dressed as Legolas and she Eowyn from the film trilogy. Speaking from the US, Mr Herzberg told the Herald they both knew there was a special connection the instant they saw each other. "We hit it right off the bat because we were both dressed in costumes. We talked and found that we had a lot in common." He said he may not have met his girlfriend had it not been for advice he was given days before. "My older sister said to me, 'Chris, you look a lot like Orlando Bloom. You should dress up as Legolas'. So I did ... that's how we met." Over the next few months the pair stayed connected via email and eventually established a long-distance relationship on the internet. The couple now live in the state of Georgia, where Mr Herzberg is a middle school teacher at a private school and Ms Palmer is a freelance graphic artist and costume designer. She makes all their costumes ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10863818)

Queenstown hits record guest nights in December (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1302/S00242/queenstown-hits-record-guest-nights-in-december.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4129/4946689604_fc27af6a62_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946689604/)
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/4946689604/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Statistics New Zealand’s latest research shows Queenstown’s December 2012 guest nights hit an all time high. According to the Commercial Accommodation Monitor (CAM), total visitor nights for the month of December were up 9.6 percent to 264,049 when compared with December 2011. December 2011 was the previous record holder for December visitor nights at 240,880. International guest nights were up 9.4 percent to 177,572, accounting for 67.2 percent of all guest nights in the Queenstown RTO area, while domestic guest nights were up 10.1 percent to 86,477 for the same period. Motels/apartments and hotels and were the key sectors to benefit, with 21.1 and 16.7 percent respective increases in visitor nights. A year-on-year comparison ending December 2012 shows overall guest nights were up 5.8 percent to 2,543,499 with a 2.7 percent increase in international guest nights and an 11.8 percent increase in domestic guest nights. Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd was delighted with the result. “As we all know, our visitor mix is creating new dynamics that we all need to adapt to. “Holiday park numbers have declined in December while hotel and motel guest nights have driven the growth. “Achieving a record full year result in 2012 is satisfying. Our challenge is to continue to build on that and gain growth across all sectors of the visitor economy in Queenstown.”

Guest nights up as foreigners fill local accommodation (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10864916)

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/188/429001803_52e45954d8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_l_gawith/429001803/)
View from the centre of New Zealand (CIMG9830) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_l_gawith/429001803/) by alg24 (http://www.flickr.com/people/a_l_gawith/), on Flickr

New Zealand guest nights rose to a six-month high in the final month of 2012 as international visitors filled local accommodation in Auckland, Canterbury and Otago. Total guest nights at commercial accommodation rose 3.1 per cent to a seasonally adjusted 2.7 million in December, the highest level since June, according to Statistics New Zealand. That was led by a 6 per cent gain in international guest nights to a 14-month high 1.08 million. That came in a month when short-term arrivals slipped 0.1 per cent to 364,000. Guest nights from locals rose 0.6 per cent to 1.63 million. South Island guest nights jumped 7.2 per cent to 1.06 million in December, in contrast to the North Island, which showed a 0.5 per cent monthly gain to 1.64 million. The main regional gainers were Canterbury, Auckland and Otago, Statistics NZ said. Hotel guest nights rose 4.5 per cent to a seasonally adjusted 944,000 in December. That was followed by a 3.6 per cent increase at motels, motor inns apartments to 885,000, and a 2.8 per cent lift at holiday parks to 521,000. Backpackers' guest nights fell 0.4 per cent to 347,000. Accommodation capacity shrank 0.3 per cent to 4.36 million guest nights in December from the same month a year earlier, with a 1 per cent fall in the number of establishments to 3.21 million. The occupancy rate was 40.2 per cent in the month, the highest rate since March.

Auckland bucks national visitation trend for 2012 (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1302/S00273/auckland-bucks-national-visitation-trend-for-2012.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7112148449_8d41aa1a15_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7112148449/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7112148449/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland ended last year on a high with a 2.7 per cent increase in guest nights for year end 2012, compared to a national decline of 1.8 per cent over the same period. The latest results from Statistics New Zealand’s Commercial Accommodation Monitor confirm that Auckland maintained sustained growth in domestic and international guest nights throughout 2012. During the year Auckland’s international guest nights rose 0.3 per cent, while nationally they fell 6.1 per cent. Domestic guest nights grew 4.7 per cent surpassing the national increase of 1.1 per cent. ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) Acting General Manager Destination Jason Hill says it is great to see Auckland finish the year so strongly. “We have actively worked to drive visitation through tourism campaigns and promotions domestically and in Australia and China. It is heartening to see this work pay off in what remains a challenging visitor market,” he says. “Auckland also hosted several major events, musicals and concerts throughout 2012 – including the Barfoot and Thompson ITU Triathlon World Championships, Mary Poppins, Cold Play and Taylor Swift – which helped to draw domestic and international visitors to the region,” says Mr Hill. Auckland’s strong 2012 visitation figures will help to support ATEED’s work to grow the overall visitor economy in line with the targets in its 10-year Auckland Visitor Plan. ATEED – on behalf of Auckland Council – aims to double the contribution from the visitor economy over the next 10 years, growing it from $3.33 billion in 2010 to $6 billion in 2021.

Summer Confirms Wellington as Destination of Choice (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1302/S00281/summer-confirms-wellington-as-destination-of-choice.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7363969806_84b04d3923_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojoez/7363969806/)
Wellington's Riviera (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojoez/7363969806/) by Jojoe.photography (http://www.flickr.com/people/jojoez/), on Flickr

Commercial guest nights spent in Wellington city increased by nearly 9.3% in December, with the capital of cool experiencing its busiest December ever and affirming its position as New Zealanders’ favourite destination. Wellington City Council’s Economy Portfolio Leader Councillor Jo Coughlan says the latest Commercial Accommodation Monitor results show a strong performance for Wellington across both the domestic and international markets. “December guest nights reached an all time high of over 175,000 for the month, with domestic guest nights increasing 8.8% and international nights up 10%. “When comparing total commercial guest nights for December, the capital achieved over four times the level of growth on average experienced by the rest of New Zealand (2.2%). This shows Wellington continues to hold its position as a tourism industry leader.” A family-focused summer promotion run by Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) in partnership with 16 of the city’s hotels contributed to the surge, with the regional tourism organisation’s monthly Hotel Monitor indicating a 7.76% increase in total rooms sold over the stay period (15 Dec - 31 Jan). PWT’s Chief Executive David Perks says “this is an incredibly healthy increase in rooms sold during what is typically a quiet period for the capital as the all important corporate travel market slows down.” Along with the Kids Stay Free initiative, Te Papa’s blockbuster summer exhibition Game Masters opened to the public on December 15, playing its part in December’s strong growth in guest nights.

KiwiRail Launches Waitomo and Hobbiton Escape Package (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1302/S00450/kiwirail-launches-waitomo-and-hobbiton-escape-package.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7483462998_1b93671335_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483462998/)
24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483462998/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

KiwiRail Scenic has launched its new Waitomo and Hobbiton Escape package for the Northern Explorer train between Auckland and Wellington. The Waitomo and Hobbiton Scenic Escape package includes train fares, transfers, accommodation in Hamilton and attractions in one online transaction. “KiwiRail has worked closely with Hamilton and Waikato Tourism to develop this fantastic tourism package which offers passengers a trip to the world famous Waitomo Caves, combined with a tour of the Hobbiton movie set,” says KiwiRail’s General Manager of Passenger Services, Deborah Hume. “Not only are we offering stunning scenery in state of the art, purpose-built carriages, but we are also throwing the Northern Explorer train wide open and offering an iconic Kiwi experience as part of the journey. “We certainly see Waitomo and the Waikato region as a great tourist destination. Waitomo alone has in excess of 350,000 annual visitors, with around 5,000 a day in peak season; and the region also supports a number of high end tourist activities," Ms Hume says. The Otorohanga stop was reinstated on its Northern Explorer train service between Auckland and Wellington for the tourism destination of Waitomo Caves on 10 December last year. The Otorohanga (Waitomo) stop has been reintroduced on a “booked stop” basis for one or more passengers ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1302/S00450/kiwirail-launches-waitomo-and-hobbiton-escape-package.htm)

Record traffic visits newzealand.com (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1302/S00637/record-traffic-visits-newzealandcom.htm)

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/1/151789_5e11641585_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/webmink/151789/)
Crossing the Southern Alps (http://www.flickr.com/photos/webmink/151789/) by webmink (http://www.flickr.com/people/webmink/), on Flickr

Tourism New Zealand’s consumer website newzealand.com has broken all previous records during January and had the biggest month in its history with 1.5 million visits and 235,000 industry referrals. Following a year of continuous design and usability improvements Catherine Bates, General Manager Brand and International PR, says the latest results are very positive and confirm that the site is effectively engaging with travellers. “The results seen in January conclude a year of incremental growth resulting in the site’s strongest 12 month period – visits are up four per cent and referrals up 18 per cent for the year ending 31 January.” The site attracts more than 12.1 million visits per year. “Sitting at the centre of our marketing strategy, the core role of newzealand.com is to build preference for New Zealand as a holiday destination and connect potential travellers with operators and travel sellers and convert them to travel. “With such a significant increase in industry referrals we know we have the mix of innovation and usability right.” The launch of two major campaigns in late 2012 have also been a catalyst for substantial traffic increases – however, it is the conversion of this traffic into quality referrals to the industry that is important. In November, 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand was rolled out across all market versions of the site, maximising the international attention New Zealand is drawing from starring in The Hobbit trilogy, into travel. In December a wedding themed campaign was launched in China with Chinese brand ambassador Yao Chen highlighting New Zealand as a wedding destination ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1302/S00637/record-traffic-visits-newzealandcom.htm)

Hobbit fever tipped to turn around tourism dip (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8325287/Hobbit-fever-tipped-to-turn-around-tourism-dip)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8479859964_74fea708f9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/8479859964/)
Queenstowns Blue Mountains - New Zealand at the Blue Hour (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/8479859964/) by Sprengben [why not get a friend] (http://www.flickr.com/people/sprengben/), on Flickr

The Hobbit movie and the wedding of a Chinese actress are expected to help winch tourism spending up from its lowest level in more than a decade. Figures from the Business, Innovation and Employment Ministry show spending last year fell 6 per cent on 2011 to $5.4 billion, on a 2 per cent fall in visitor numbers. A tourism slip was expected after the Rugby World Cup-charged 2011, but last year's spending figure was the lowest since 2001. Spending by British tourists fell the most, down 21 per cent to $469 million, while Chinese visitors upped their spending a sizeable 42 per cent to $651m. Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said about two-thirds of the spending decline could be explained by the Rugby World Cup. "The other third is a slightly softer arrivals market and a change in mix towards shorter-stay tourists visiting friends and relatives." The British tourist market, now the third biggest market behind Australia and China, had been hit by the downturn in Europe and the weakening of the pound compared with the New Zealand dollar. But the Japanese market had recovered after the natural disasters of 2011. Growth in Chinese spending was "extraordinarily strong", and outstripped the 35 per cent leap in visitor numbers - meaning tourists from China were spending more. Bowler was optimistic that tourist spending would improve this year, partly thanks to The Hobbit. The NewZealand.com website had received a record 1.55 million unique visitors last month, while airlines and travel agents overseas were reporting growing interest in New Zealand. "A lot of it has been the association with the film." ... MORE (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8325287/Hobbit-fever-tipped-to-turn-around-tourism-dip)

Bear Grylls fronts Air NZ safety clip (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868051)

LnM7xuhzjWY

Bear Grylls has shared his tips for surviving in the wild with fans across the world, but now he'll be telling you how to fasten your seatbelt, clip your tray table back, and make sure your seatback is upright ahead of take-off. The Bear Essentials of Safety video rolls out across the Air New Zealand fleet from today, and features the Man vs Wild star running through safety advice for passengers. "Seeing as you're waiting to take-off, I'm going to run through you a few of the safety drills I've picked up on my adventures," Grylls says while making his way along part of the Routeburn Track near Fiordland. "First up, make sure anything you're carrying is safely stuffed in the lockers overhead. Lockers in the wild are pretty hard to find." The adventurer is joined in the video by renowned Kiwi entomologist Ruud Kleinpaste (also known as the Bug Man) and three New Zealand scouts William Hamilton, Connor Moffat and Asha Stevenson. Grylls is chief scout of the UK Scout Association ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868051)

Fast track to paradise (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868658)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2008/2245975984_ef5d23fdf5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beerying/2245975984/)
Milford Sound, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beerying/2245975984/) by tanarakphotography (http://www.flickr.com/people/beerying/), on Flickr

Conservation Minister Nick Smith will consider hotly debated plans for a tunnel and a monorail to take tourists from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Geoff Cumming examines the cases for and against ... It is the holy grail of New Zealand tourism: easing the path to Milford Sound for domestic and international tourists without destroying what lures them there in the first place - its scenery, ecological value and remoteness. For decades, tourism entrepreneurs have laid schemes at the door of the Conservation Department without quite prising it open, from a coastal road defying engineering conventions to a gondola. Now, DoC has allowed two proposals a foot in the door - one a bus-only tunnel with approach roads through two national parks; the other a "back-country experience" involving boat, 4WD bus and monorail. Both promise to cut in half the circuitous 4hr road journey from Queenstown to Milford around Lakes Wakatipu and Te Anau. The applicants plan international marketing to bring an estimated 20,000 extra visitors a year to New Zealand, targeting time-poor tourists who want the greatest hits at speed. What's the rush? Accommodation at Milford is strictly limited. Though Te Anau, two hours' drive away, can accommodate 4000, most visitors to the region opt to stay in the bright lights of Queenstown. Up to 40 buses daily ply the road route, giving visitors a three or four-hour window in Milford - time enough to have lunch, cruise the fiord and maybe visit the observatory- before the ride back. A quicker land route would spread the load and give visitors more time there, boosting the 40-odd businesses that work the sound with benefits rippling through Fiordland, say proponents. They point to a recent fall in visitors to our most famous destination. Those behind the monorail say its terminus north of Te Anau could be a starting point to explore other parts of the region ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868658)

New Zealand profiled to 10 million US Amazing Race viewers (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00109/destination-new-zealand-profiled-to-10-million-us-viewers.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8212/8362926368_cdcf901133_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8362926368/)
23 DEC 12 ROTORUA WAIMANGU VOLCANIC VALLEY (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8362926368/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

New Zealand’s stunningly beautiful landscapes and adrenaline pumping activities are again being broadcast across US prime-time TV as the New Zealand episode of The Amazing Race airs on major American broadcast channel CBS. Filmed in New Zealand in November 2012, The Amazing Race was secured through Tourism New Zealand’s International Media Programme. The episode aired on Sunday 3 March in the US, (NZ Monday 4 March). The Amazing Race is in its 22nd season, and recent episodes have attracted more than 10 million viewers across the US. The show is also aired in several other countries. “Tourism New Zealand supports relevant broadcast productions, including reality TV shows such as The Amazing Race, in order to gain compelling, high-profile media coverage to motivate our target markets to travel to New Zealand,” says Gregg Anderson, General Manager Western Long Haul Markets. “The timing of this going to air couldn’t be better, as we work to leverage the increased interest in New Zealand that we are seeing in the US as a result of the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and our 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign work.” It is the fourth time New Zealand has featured in the major reality TV show. Filming took place in Mid-Canterbury, where Kiwi host of the show Phil Keoghan was born and raised. Competitors took part in a range of activities profiling the variety of unique experiences available amidst the expansive landscape of the region. These included camping, jet boating on the Rakaia river, quad biking through streams, piloting rally cars and enjoying the luxury of Terrace Downs Resort which doubled as a pit-stop ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00109/destination-new-zealand-profiled-to-10-million-us-viewers.htm)

Australian arrivals to New Zealand rebounded in January but the number of overall international visitors slipped, latest figures have shown.

Just over 101,100 Aussies crossed the Tasman, 2.2% higher than the same month last year, boosted by a 4.4% increase in holiday traffic to 44,336.

Business traffic climbed 9% to more than 9,000 while the number of people attending conferences and incentive trips soared 47%, albeit off a low base of 1,264.

But the visiting friends and relatives market, which has previously been in growth mode, dipped slightly, declining 1.8% to 40,720.

Tourism New Zealand Australia general manager Tim Burgess said the rise in holiday traffic was "exceptionally" good news.

"It is really pleasing to see holiday traffic leading the growth. It shows that the work we are doing and our message to consumers that NZ delivers inspiring holidays is working," he said. "January is our biggest month for arrivals so to see growth sets us up nicely for the year ahead."

Encouragingly, longer stay trips rose sharply, according to the government figures. Although stays of between eight and 14 days fell 1.7%, there was a healthy 15% rise in the number of travellers staying between two and three weeks.

Tourism New Zealand has long sought to encourage Australians to stay longer and, as a consequence, spend more which officials view as the most critical barometre of success.

Overall international arrivals in January declined from 267,000 to 260,600, a fall of 2.3%.

UK arrivals fell 8% to 27,500 with China down almost a fifth to 18,700. The US and Japan however showed strong growth, rising 17% to 24,300 and 9% to 7,100 respectively.
http://www.travelweekly.com.au

Calls grow to push country's luxury tourism market (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10869450)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5022/5559848988_304a017d5f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanbranch/5559848988/)
Landscape (w/cloud ribbon), Queenstown Area (@Azur Lodge), New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanbranch/5559848988/) by Nathan Branch (http://www.flickr.com/people/nathanbranch/), on Flickr

A superyacht service business says the country is not doing enough to promote high end tourism. Against a backdrop of falling visitor spending calls are growing for tourism bodies to promote luxury tourism. Auckland-based Superyacht Support says New Zealand had promoted itself successfully as a refit destination but was not getting through to the owners of the vessels and encouraging them to visit. "For two or three years I've been hitting my head against a brick wall to try and get somebody to actually understand what we're missing out on to get owners and charter guests to come here," said owner Jeanette Tobin. She started the Westhaven-based business 12 years ago as a high-end concierge service and ship's agent for superyacht owners and their guests and crews. About 250 superyachts come into the Pacific each year and about half of those sail to New Zealand. Of those 90 per cent have some work done on them, ranging up to major refits. Another luxury tourism operator, Ahipara Luxury Travel, which offers tailored experiences for the super rich, last week raised concerns about the promotion of New Zealand, saying the mass-market approach and concentration on The Hobbit was at the expense of pushing highly valuable niche tourism ... MORE (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5022/5559848988_304a017d5f_b.jpg
Landscape (w/cloud ribbon), Queenstown Area (@Azur Lodge), New Zealand by Nathan Branch, on Flickr)

Spring FootSpa wins in international magazine design award (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00230/spring-footspa-wins-in-international-magazine-design-award.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8533938845_3e31022230_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8533938845/)
SPRING FOOT SPA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8533938845/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Travel and Leisure magazine, internationally acknowledged as one of the most discerning luxury travel magazines in the world, has recognised New Zealand’s Spring FootSpa in its 2013 Design Awards. Spring was the only winner from Australasia. The spa, which was designed by Derek Lockwood of Saatchi & Saatchi Design Worldwide, opened last year to national and international acclaim. It was given an ‘Honourable Mention’ in the Design Awards - the only spa in the world to receive this recognition. Spring FootSpa has also previously been featured by international design websites such as Cool Hunter, Trend Hunter and The Denizen. The description from Travel and Leisure magazine read: “Pops of colour animate the predominantly neutral space of this Queenstown “social spa” for a fresh, lighthearted design and unmistakably vibrant atmosphere.” The Les Bains de Lea Nuxe Spa in Bordeaux, France, won ‘Best Spa’ and was the only other spa recognised in the awards. Owner Ina Bajaj says she’s delighted with the international recognition, which was announced in Travel and Leisure’s March issue. “When the concept for Spring was developed, we wanted to create a spa that was entirely different to anything that already existed in the market globally,” says Bajaj. “But the competition was undoubtedly very tough and we’re delighted to receive world-class recognition for our world-class spa.” “Spring is a social spa and the interior design reflects this; the spaces are open and our guests are encouraged to interact with one another and make use of our extensive entertainment facilities. We’re delighted that a magazine with an international reputation such as Travel and Leisure has recognised what we’re achieving here in New Zealand.” ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00230/spring-footspa-wins-in-international-magazine-design-award.htm)

'Piano' beach included in NZ's top spots (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870826)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6885075801_cabc273129_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pukunui81/6885075801/)
Karekare Beach panorama {explored} (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pukunui81/6885075801/) by pukunui81 (http://www.flickr.com/people/pukunui81/), on Flickr

Karekare has been named among New Zealand's best beaches by an American publication focused on the outdoors. The West Auckland beach was named by Outside magazine as one of the country's top 10 beaches, along with Ninety Mile Beach in the Far North, Hot Water Beach in Coromandel and Mosquito Bay on the Abel Tasman coastal walk. Described as the beach made famous by the 1993 film The Piano, the magazine said Karekare "is a vast, still-empty paradise of black sand and craggy cliffs that loom over the Tasman Sea". "Bush-clad green hills rife with native manuka, cabbage trees, and myriad ferns backdrop the sand, and the 100-foot [30m] Karekare Falls is tucked just inside the forest." Seal spotting and "braving the churning surf for a wild swim" were among the activities visitors could do there, it said. Absent from the list are Mt Maunganui and Piha. Four beaches on the list are in the South Island, including Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, in North Otago, and Gillespies Beach, near Hokitika. Adam Roscoe, 20, whose parents run the Karekare Beach Lodge, said he wasn't surprised that his local beach had made the list ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870826)

NZ the world's friendliest nation for tourists (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10871427)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7859842956_380811d547_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7859842956/)
25 AUG 12 16°C BLEDISLOE CUP (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7859842956/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Friendliest
1. New Zealand 6.8
2. Iceland 6.8
3. Morocco 6.7
4. Macedonia, FYR 6.7
5. Austria 6.7
6. Senegal 6.7
7. Portugal 6.6
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.6
9. Ireland 6.6
10. Burkina Faso 6.6

Unfriendliest
1. Bolivia 4.1
2. Venezuela 4.5
3. Russian Federation 5.0
4. Kuwait 5.2
5. Latvia 5.2
6. Iran 5.2
7. Pakistan 5.3
8. Slovak Republic 5.5
9. Bulgaria 5.5
10. Mongolia 5.5

New Zealand, along with Iceland, has been judged the world's friendliest nation for tourists, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum. This year's "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report" ranked 140 countries based on attractiveness and competitiveness in the tourism and travel industries. One of the rankings looked at how welcome tourists were in each country on a scale of one to seven, categorised as "Attitude of population toward foreign visitors". The analysis showed that New Zealand and Iceland were the friendliest, with a score of 6.8 out of 7 apiece. Morocco was next in line, while Macedonia and Austria ranked in at fourth and fifth. Adversely, Bolivia was found to be the least welcoming to foreigners, followed by Venezuela and then Russia. In the overall Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index - which is "based on the extent to which they are putting in place the factors and policies to make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism sector" - Europe dominated the top five positions with Switzerland, Germany and Austria in the respective top three. Switzerland has held the top spot since the index began five years ago. Haiti scored the lowest on the competitiveness index.

Fast track to paradise (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868658)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2008/2245975984_ef5d23fdf5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beerying/2245975984/)
Milford Sound, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beerying/2245975984/) by tanarakphotography (http://www.flickr.com/people/beerying/), on Flickr

Conservation Minister Nick Smith will consider hotly debated plans for a tunnel and a monorail to take tourists from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Geoff Cumming examines the cases for and against ... It is the holy grail of New Zealand tourism: easing the path to Milford Sound for domestic and international tourists without destroying what lures them there in the first place - its scenery, ecological value and remoteness. For decades, tourism entrepreneurs have laid schemes at the door of the Conservation Department without quite prising it open, from a coastal road defying engineering conventions to a gondola. Now, DoC has allowed two proposals a foot in the door - one a bus-only tunnel with approach roads through two national parks; the other a "back-country experience" involving boat, 4WD bus and monorail. Both promise to cut in half the circuitous 4hr road journey from Queenstown to Milford around Lakes Wakatipu and Te Anau. The applicants plan international marketing to bring an estimated 20,000 extra visitors a year to New Zealand, targeting time-poor tourists who want the greatest hits at speed. What's the rush? Accommodation at Milford is strictly limited. Though Te Anau, two hours' drive away, can accommodate 4000, most visitors to the region opt to stay in the bright lights of Queenstown. Up to 40 buses daily ply the road route, giving visitors a three or four-hour window in Milford - time enough to have lunch, cruise the fiord and maybe visit the observatory- before the ride back. A quicker land route would spread the load and give visitors more time there, boosting the 40-odd businesses that work the sound with benefits rippling through Fiordland, say proponents. They point to a recent fall in visitors to our most famous destination. Those behind the monorail say its terminus north of Te Anau could be a starting point to explore other parts of the region ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868658)

MP for Southland-who-usually-does-very-little-for-Southland-due-to-deputy-PM-role Bill English has come out against this proposal.

MP for Southland-who-usually-does-very-little-for-Southland-due-to-deputy-PM-role Bill English has come out against this proposal.

Does he have much say in the matter ? I hope not.

Long-haul youth travellers enticed to enjoy NZ (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00621/long-haul-youth-travellers-enticed-to-enjoy-nz.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8560604161_a889457245_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8560604161/)
09 FEB 13 24°C WAIHEKE ISLAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8560604161/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Youth travellers from the long-haul markets of the US, Canada, UK and Continental Europe are being enticed to travel to New Zealand with Tourism New Zealand’s latest youth campaign - Epic Experiences - showing them ‘there really is too much to miss’. Launched today on the back of the successful Stories Beat Stuff activity, Epic Experiences demonstrates how cool a trip to New Zealand can be, with an enormous range of epic adventures to be had. Youth travellers are those aged 18-29. Accounting for almost a quarter of annual arrivals the youth sector represent significant opportunity; with the potential to stay here longer, travel widely and get involved in a range of activities, meaning they have the potential to spend more while they are here. “While Stories Beat Stuff was designed to improve the youth sector’s pre-travel perception of New Zealand as a holiday destination, Epic Experiences aims to capitalise on this and convert this into bookings – so they come to New Zealand and experience it for themselves,” says Justin Watson, General Manager Marketing Communications. The campaign is the largest multi-partner youth sector activity to be simultaneously rolled-out across all Tourism New Zealand western long-haul markets. “We have worked with a significant number of trade and youth partners in each market, securing strong travel deals to promote during the campaign which will support strong conversion rates. “We have also worked with the youth industry and operators with youth specific products in New Zealand to ensure the wide range of activities available are promoted across the campaign to show just how much there is to do while here.” Running over two months the activity will be rolled out via Tourism New Zealand’s established social media and online platforms across the US and Canada, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands and Scandinavia ... MORE (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8560604161_a889457245_b.jpg
09 FEB 13 24°C WAIHEKE ISLAND by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr)

International media spotlight on destination NZ (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00718/international-media-spotlight-on-destination-nz.htm)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2024/2038950291_67d30b76e5_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherbryant/2038950291/)
Piha beach, New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherbryant/2038950291/) by chris.bryant (http://www.flickr.com/people/christopherbryant/), on Flickr

Around 26 of the world’s leading travel and tourism media will jet into Auckland next month to attend TRENZ 2013 (21-24 April), the $23.4 billion New Zealand tourism industry’s annual showcase event.
Organised by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), TRENZ brings together several hundred Kiwi tourism operators with the same number of international travel buyers who are looking for tourism products to sell to consumers in their home markets. “TRENZ is also a fantastic opportunity to get international media to experience destination New Zealand first-hand and the new, exciting and innovative tourism products we have to offer the world’s travellers,” says TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden. The international media are coming from all New Zealand’s priority visitor markets – Australia, China, the UK, Germany, Japan and the USA, and also from important developing markets such as India and Indonesia. “We work hard with our TRENZ partners Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand and Qantas to ensure a good media spread and plenty of newsworthy stories for them to cover while they’re here. Many of the journalists will also travel around New Zealand before and after TRENZ,” says Mr Snedden. The publications and media outlets the media write for are influential in promoting destinations and travel experiences to international consumers and the travel trade. They include Lonely Planet, the world’s leading seller of guidebooks, National Geographic Traveler China, a monthly magazine for affluent Chinese travellers, and Panorama Magazine, an Indonesian travel magazine targeting ‘adventurous and playful’ 25-45 year olds, which is interested in New Zealand’s luxury, adventure and eco-tourism products. Reflecting the importance of digital and social media in the travel experience, there is a strong online media presence, including Qyer.com, the biggest online outbound community in China with 10 million users ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00718/international-media-spotlight-on-destination-nz.htm)

New Zealand “too perfect,” says Martin Freeman (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00737/new-zealand-too-perfect-says-martin-freeman.htm)

RRA_eVAyH5c#!

New Zealand “too perfect,” says Martin Freeman, star of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The latest promotion for New Zealand features ringing endorsements from members of the international cast of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, as they discuss their own experiences of 100% Middle earth, 100% Pure New Zealand. A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, the first film in The Hobbit Trilogy was released on DVD and Blu-Ray today to the North American market. It includes a six-minute feature, New Zealand Home of Middle-earth, made up of cast interviews, movie locations, behind-the-scenes discussions and sweeping shots of the New Zealand landscape. The feature is now available for the world to view on Tourism New Zealand’s Facebook page ‘100% Pure New Zealand’, consumer website newzealand.com [http://www.newzealand.com/int/] and You Tube channel. Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the feature will provide New Zealand with immeasurable exposure. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is enormously popular, having passed US$1 billion in worldwide box office takings, and the endorsement New Zealand receives from the international cast in this new feature on the DVD release is amazing. “There is also a piece of extra content on the DVD/Blu-Ray where the movie makers show the real landscapes of New Zealand before any visual effects are added – clearly showing that while the movie is a fantasy, the locations are very real.” ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00737/new-zealand-too-perfect-says-martin-freeman.htm)

More visitors for Chinese New Year (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00823/more-visitors-for-chinese-new-year.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6826672881_0801fb7df9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevehn787/6826672881/)
Chinese Lantern festival Auckland 2012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevehn787/6826672881/) by newzealandmale32yearsold (http://www.flickr.com/people/stevehn787/), on Flickr

Visitor arrivals in February 2013 (281,200) were up 9 percent from February 2012, driven by more arrivals during the Chinese New Year period, Statistics New Zealand said today. "The first day of the Year of the Snake was celebrated on the 10th of February this year, while in 2012, the Year of the Dragon started in January," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "The change in timing resulted in more visitors arriving from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan than in February last year." In February 2013 compared with February 2012, there were also more visitors from the United States and Japan, but fewer from Korea and the United Kingdom. In the February 2013 year, 2.581 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, down 1 percent from the February 2012 year, which included arrivals for the Rugby World Cup. The largest increases were in the number of visitors from China and Japan, countered by decreases from the United Kingdom, France, and South Africa. New Zealand residents departed on 110,700 overseas trips in February 2013. This was fewer than the 116,400 trips taken in February 2012, but more than the 103,500 trips in February 2011. In the February 2013 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.155 million overseas trips, up 2 percent from the previous year. The biggest increases were in trips to the United States (up 15,100) and the Cook Islands (up 5,600). Trips to the United States were helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Biggest February ever for international arrivals (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00831/biggest-february-ever-for-international-arrivals.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4144/5194905500_41af54be44_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marpcar/5194905500/)
sheep farm in New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marpcar/5194905500/) by Marcelo P. Carvalho (http://www.flickr.com/people/marpcar/), on Flickr

A significant increase in international visitor arrivals from both the West and East has seen the biggest ever February, with 281,233 arrivals resulting in 8.5 per cent growth for the month. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the growth can only be partly attributed to Chinese New Year, which saw Chinese visitors increase 106.4 per cent in February, because growth can be seen across all key markets. “What’s really positive is the growth we are seeing out of the long-haul markets – notably this month’s holiday arrivals from the USA (up 21.0 per cent) and Canada (up 4.2 per cent), UK (up 2.0 per cent) and Germany (up 0.6 per cent). These markets have been challenging for some time and it is fantastic seeing such strong results,” says Kevin. “Following the release of the first Hobbit movie and our focused marketing efforts with our ‘100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign, the growth we are seeing clearly shows the increased preference to travel to New Zealand. “This increase in interest has also been seen in record traffic to our consumer site newzealand.com, with one million visits making it the biggest February month, up 37.3% on February 2012. Growth from North America was also assisted by increased capacity on the USA and Canada routes by Air New Zealand over the summer season. The increase from Germany continues a positive trend with arrivals being up an average of 3 per cent over the last six months compared to last year ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00831/biggest-february-ever-for-international-arrivals.htm)

Steady trading enjoyed by Auckland hoteliers (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00913/steady-trading-enjoyed-by-auckland-hoteliers.htm)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8383018964_283bfaa879_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8383018964/)
29 DEC 12 27°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8383018964/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland hotels enjoyed a year of steady trading in 2012 with leisure, corporate and conference business returning to normal patterns following Rugby World Cup 2011. New figures presented at the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) Roadshow in Auckland today show that 2012 was a year of gradual stabilisation in occupancy and rates for many TIA Hotel regions. “After a very eventful 2011 with the Rugby World Cup and the Christchurch earthquake changing visitor flows significantly, 2012 was relatively uneventful. This offered hotels an opportunity to adjust to the new post-GFC business environment of shifts in visitor markets, the increasingly short lead nature of bookings and people remaining very price conscious,” TIA Hotels Sector Manager Rachael Shadbolt says. TIA Hotels 2012 Annual Operating Survey shows that Auckland’s 37 TIA Hotel members:

*
had a 75.6% occupancy rate, down 1.6 points compared to 2011 (77.2%) and the second highest occupancy of all TIA Hotel members after Christchurch[1]. This was above the national TIA Hotels’ occupancy of 69.9%
*
achieved the sixth highest average room rate (ARR) of the eight TIA Hotel regions at $136, down $21.60[2] on 2011, but up $2.93 on 2010 which is a better (non-event year) comparison. This was on a par with the TIA Hotels’ national ARR of $136.30.
*
generated over $390m in revenue from a total of 6885 rooms
*
employed almost 4200 people and contributed $293 million to the region through wages and salaries, food and beverage purchases, rates and other expenditure.

“The stability of Auckland’s occupancy levels was good to see. The dip in ARR compared to 2011 can be attributed to hotel room rates evening out over the year and not being influenced by major sporting events,” Ms Shadbolt says. “Auckland had the lion’s share of the big Rugby World Cup games including the opening match and the final. This meant strong event driven rates were enjoyed by many hotels in the region throughout September and October 2011 and this comes through in the data ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00913/steady-trading-enjoyed-by-auckland-hoteliers.htm)

Auckland wins prestigious international cruise award (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00966/auckland-wins-prestigious-international-cruise-award.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/7114233373_7ea447a48d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7114233373/)
08 APR 12 21°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7114233373/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Auckland has been named Best Turnaround Destination by the world’s leading cruise line executives, capping off a record cruise season. The award from Britain’s Cruise Insight magazine is based on a survey of industry leaders and ranks Auckland as the ultimate destination to start or end a cruise. The accolade was announced at the annual Cruise Shipping Miami tradeshow, the industry’s premier global event, which is attended by 1800 cruise line owners and operators from 66 companies. Auckland Mayor Len Brown says this award reinforces Auckland’s growing international status as a renowned cruise destination. “It is outstanding for Auckland to be recognised by the industry’s top decision makers as the number one place to start or end a cruise,” he says. “This recognition puts us in good stead to grow our number of turnaround cruises and consequently have passengers stay here for longer and help generate more value for Auckland’s visitor economy,” says the Mayor. Auckland is credited for having the best combination of hotel stock, tourism appeal, airlift and airport capacity, transport links, ground handling and seamless transfers to the seaport. ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) Manager Tourism Jason Hill says our attractive destination helps Auckland to stand out. “We offer cruise passengers a mix of quality hotels, restaurants, shopping and attractions – and the development of a cruise facility on Queens Wharf will further enhance our welcome experience for visitors,” he says. The award comes as Auckland is enjoying a record cruise season with 100 cruise ships visiting from 1 October 2012 to 24 June 2013 ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00966/auckland-wins-prestigious-international-cruise-award.htm)

TRENZ – promoting ‘hot’ new tourism products to the world (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00967/trenz-promoting-hot-new-tourism-products-to-the-world.htm)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5286/5244730280_fe0849026f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5244730280/)
HAWKE'S BAY 28 NOV 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5244730280/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

An illusion gallery, zipline tours high above the forest canopy and Christchurch hotels are amongst the new and innovative New Zealand tourism products that will be on show to the world’s travel and tourism Buyers at TRENZ 2013, Auckland 21-24 April. Managed by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand, TRENZ is the $23.4 billion NZ tourism industry’s most important international showcase. This year around 250 New Zealand tourism operators will be hoping to clinch business deals with the 290 international Buyers who are attending from around the world. “These Buyers are very influential. In total they have told us they expect to send about 700,000 visitors to New Zealand over the coming year, over half our holiday arrivals,” says TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden. “Tourism is a hugely competitive international business so it’s vital we show them fresh and exciting new products and visitor experiences.” At TRENZ 2013 they will discover 52 new tourism products, including 16 tourism operators who are exhibiting at the big international trade event for the first time. They include first-time TRENZ Exhibitor Rotoura Canopy Tours, in business for less than a year and hoping to make a positive impression on the international Buyers ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S00967/trenz-promoting-hot-new-tourism-products-to-the-world.htm)

Island visitors lured by "taste, dabble, glide or paddle" (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S01013/island-visitors-lured-by-taste-dabble-glide-or-paddle.htm)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5222/5823547174_d85565a23d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823547174/)
22 MAY 11 18°C WAIHEKE ISLAND (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5823547174/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Quirky new travel company time2go.co.nz has introduced a new way to experience the best experiences Waiheke Island has on offer - even in the quieter winter season. Visitors get to choose between four different options when organising their holiday: a 'taste' on a wine tour; 'dabble' in the arts on an art trail tour; 'glide' on the new flying fox attraction above Onetangi; or 'paddle' on a sea kayaking adventure. Each holiday automatically includes one of these activities, in addition to food and beverage vouchers, accommodation and ferry tickets. Visitors can also elect to have car hire and flights from anywhere in New Zealand or Australia added to their holiday if desired. Typically kiwi phrases brand the categories and keep the booking process fun when customers select their budget. Choose to be 'cheap 'n' cheerful' and be accommodated with shared facilities (such as backpackers and holidays parks), or select a 'sweet as' holiday and treat yourself with luxurious surroundings in stylish lodgings. Already successfully selling holidays in both Queenstown and the Lake Wanaka region, time2go.co.nz has selected Waiheke Island as its third destination stating its year round 'summer feel' as the main reasoning behind the appeal ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1303/S01013/island-visitors-lured-by-taste-dabble-glide-or-paddle.htm)

Coastal Pacific moves to seasonal service (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1304/S00007/coastal-pacific-moves-to-seasonal-service.htm)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7483464288_2ab88f4f73_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483464288/)
24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/7483464288/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

KiwiRail has today announced that the Coastal Pacific train between Picton and Christchurch will operate as an extended summer service in the seven months between October and April. This seasonal service is expected to be in place while Christchurch rebuilds its tourism infrastructure. “The Coastal Pacific is losing almost $3 million annually, due in most part to a significant drop in the tourism and domestic travel market to and from Christchurch after the earthquake. These losses are highest through winter,” says KiwiRail’s General Manager, Passenger, Deborah Hume. “Winter demand for KiwiRail Scenic’s long distance passenger services (May through September) is much slower than the summer tourist season. For the Coastal Pacific service, the drop in demand in these winter months is even more pronounced than the TranzAlpine, as this train serves a less well known and travelled route. Added to this, since the February 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, travel to and from the city has dropped significantly due to the loss of tourist related facilities and accommodation. “Very low numbers of people used the train during last winter, although there was an increase during the school holidays. However, KiwiRail needs to sell 130 seats on each service to break even, and on some days only 30 people were on board. "We have had to take a really close look at how we make the best of the domestic and international market we have, and a seasonal timetable does this. A number of similar services in Australia and Canada also run seasonal timetables,” Ms Hume says ... MORE (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7483464288_2ab88f4f73_b.jpg
24 JUN 12 16°C NORTHERN EXPLORER by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr)

Auckland to host tourism activity extravaganza (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1304/S00162/auckland-to-host-tourism-activity-extravaganza.htm)

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6211/6335379200_0f82a9fb18_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6335379200/)
11 NOV 11 21°C STANLEY POINT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/6335379200/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

In the biggest event of its kind, Auckland is set to host more than 500 TRENZ delegates, including travel Buyers and media from New Zealand’s most important visitor markets, to an afternoon of Auckland activities. TRENZ (21-24 April 2013) is the $23.4 billion tourism industry’s annual showcase. This year it is being hosted by Auckland and will be attended by around 290 international tourism and travel Buyers plus media from around the world, and 250 of the country’s leading tourism operators who get together to negotiate contracts for the coming holiday seasons. “On Tuesday afternoon (23 April) more than 500 TRENZ delegates will take a break from their business meetings to discover first-hand the range of activities Auckland has to offer the world’s travellers,” says Martin Snedden, Chief Executive of the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), which organises and manages TRENZ with the support of key tourism industry partners. “The activity afternoon will show that Auckland has something to offer travellers across the spectrum, from families and affluent visitors from high-growth markets like China to active over-50s and young backpackers. This time-out from scheduled TRENZ meetings is also an opportunity for delegates to network informally and hopefully discover new business opportunities.” ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1304/S00162/auckland-to-host-tourism-activity-extravaganza.htm)

Air NZ's China plans taking flight (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10875548)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4147/5010706300_2904903772_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53161794@N06/5010706300/)
Air New Zealand A320 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53161794@N06/5010706300/) by Suzuki san (http://www.flickr.com/people/53161794@N06/), on Flickr

With the Chinese release of The Hobbit and the Prime Minister's official visit, New Zealand is firmly in the spotlight in China. For the man tasked with leading Air New Zealand through the next phase of development in China, Asia general manager Sandeep Bahl, this represents an opportunity to generate further promotion for the airline and for New Zealand as a tourist destination. "We rolled out the Hobbit premiere jointly with Warner Brothers, China Film and Tourism New Zealand in Beijing. Following the movie launch, we started our marketing campaign with Tourism New Zealand to promote travel to Middle-earth." With the introduction of daily flights from Shanghai, building capabilities within Asia is predicated upon the ability to turn Shanghai into an effective transit hub for Air New Zealand. "The main goal is to make a strong gateway through to China via Shanghai, but to do that we need to be confident of selling out the flight everyday, not relying on seasonal demands." Generating sustained demand for the service is one of the biggest challenges towards succeeding in China, with a strong focus on marketing by Air New Zealand ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10875548)

New Zealand is a perfect place for visitors to visit and spend their holidays over there. It is the country which is covered with full of mountains. You could enjoy full of nature over here because there sea view, mountain view and forest view is also included in this country.

Huge growth in Chinese visitors picked (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/8526157/Huge-growth-in-Chinese-visitors-picked)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2030/2266632534_3953d37c7c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/better_in_black_and_white/2266632534/)
Karamea beach (http://www.flickr.com/photos/better_in_black_and_white/2266632534/) by Chook with the looks (http://www.flickr.com/people/better_in_black_and_white/), on Flickr

Chinese visitors numbers could rise five-fold to one million in the next five years without additional marketing, Prime Minister John Key says, to rival Australia as our largest source of visitors. Already the fastest growing source of international tourists - rising 35 per cent to 200,000 in 2012 - Key said comments from Chinese president Xi Jinping suggested this would increase substantially in the coming year. President Xi, who took office last month, told the Bo'ao Forum that he expected the number of Chinese travelling overseas, at about 82 million in 2012, would rise to 400 million in five years. From this, Key believed that Chinese visitors could easily climb to one million over the same period, to rival Australia as New Zealand's largest source of overseas visitors. "That's just assuming you did things normally, you weren't even a more attractive destination than that. This is a massive market potential," Key said. "The question is could we do even better than that, and I think it's arguably possible. I know it's a real stretch but it's a very big market and we're a very attractive destination." In the year ended February 2013 there were 1.16m Australians who visited New Zealand, compared to 208,000 Chinese. Key made the comments at a ceremony at the China Southern Airline headquarters in Guangzhou, where parties re-signed an agreement which gives qualifying visitors speedy access through border controls. Under the agreement China Southern's Gold and Silver frequent flyer card holders do not have to produce evidence of sufficient funds to support themselves, as long as they can show their flight records over the previous two years. According to Immigration New Zealand nearly 100 travellers have used the scheme since it came into effect in November last year and no compliance issues have emerged ... MORE (http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/8526157/Huge-growth-in-Chinese-visitors-picked)

Wellington spa named Australasia’s Best Luxury Boutique Spa (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1304/S00182/wellington-spa-named-australasias-best-luxury-boutique-spa.htm)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4043/5145176292_344240a227_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5145176292/)
WELLINGTON 29 OCT 2010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/5145176292/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

Wellington spa Bodyhaven has been recognised as the Best Luxury Boutique Spa in Australasia and Oceania by the 2013 World Luxury Spa Awards. The spa, located in the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor on The Terrace, also received the award for Best Luxury Wellness Spa in New Zealand. The awards are accepted as the pinnacle of achievement for luxury spas and are based on votes by spa guests and feedback from a global panel of spa industry professionals. Recipients are recognised for setting benchmarks in quality, innovation and service for spas around the globe. Bodyhaven Spa Director Ana Maria Moore is an internationally renowned spa and wellness consultant with more than 20 years experience. She has been leading and educating spa personnel for over a decade. Ms Moore says Bodyhaven strives to ensure the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation for its clients and is thrilled that the efforts of her dedicated, professional spa team have been recognised at such a high level. “Bodyhaven prides itself on providing our spa guests with the finest in service, ambience and innovation, to ensure a memorable and rewarding experience ... MORE (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1304/S00182/wellington-spa-named-australasias-best-luxury-boutique-spa.htm)

Reality show to boost Air NZ's profile in China (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10876501)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8508262405_b2b8000b30_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunnarkullenberg/8508262405/)
Air New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunnarkullenberg/8508262405/) by gunnarinla (http://www.flickr.com/people/gunnarkullenberg/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand's exposure in China will be boosted in a leading Chinese reality show You Are The One to feature three specially themed episodes about the airline and this country. The show has more than 300 million television viewers as well as a big online following. Its host Meng Fei has a following on Chinese social media site Weibo of around 30 million fans and You Are The One has almost eight times the number of viewers as the most popular episode of American Idol, the airline said. "Our connection with Meng Fei and with the show is literally money-can't-buy exposure for our brand in this critical market," said Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon. He said Air New Zealand and its revenue share partner Cathay Pacific now carry two-thirds of the 77,000 visitors who come directly from China and that part of the business had improved its financial performance in China. "The real opportunity is to build the direct services to and from China so we can accelerate the mono-destination visitors ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10876501)

Air NZ's green tourism award (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10876660)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5025/5560696142_7f987f3318_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superhero-monkee/5560696142/)
Air New Zealand 77W Business Premier Cabin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/superhero-monkee/5560696142/) by lindsay.gardiner (http://www.flickr.com/people/superhero-monkee/), on Flickr

Air New Zealand has won a major international award that recognises sustainable tourism best practice. The airline was named the winner in the global tourism business category at the World Travel and Tourism Council's annual summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon said the award recognised the airline's commitment to maintaining and protecting the country's clean, green image. He said the airline was working to become the world's most environmentally sustainable carrier and had reduced carbon emissions by 15 per cent during the past five years. "Alongside this we've invested in enhancing some of New Zealand's most iconic natural assets through our partnership with the Department of Conservation to support biodiversity projects on the Great Walks network. We have also invested in Antarctica New Zealand and the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute to support important scientific research being conducted on the Ice." The airline provides financial support to environmental projects around the country through the Air New Zealand Environment Trust. The airline has a 3000-strong "Green Team" which promotes environmental sustainability both at work and in the home ... MORE (http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5025/5560696142_7f987f3318_b.jpg
Air New Zealand 77W Business Premier Cabin by lindsay.gardiner, on Flickr)

Love boats' romance with shores of Aotearoa (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10877011)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8381938369_09b1538ec2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8381938369/)
29 DEC 12 27°C (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeonauckland/8381938369/) by Urban+Explorer (http://www.flickr.com/people/eyeonauckland/), on Flickr

With more than 1.1 million passenger days spent in New Zealand, the country's ports have survived the biggest cruise season on record - but only just. The summer is expected to have generated $474.5 million in direct expenditure from the cruise industry, up 15 per cent on the previous season. But New Zealand ports only just got through and when bigger ships from China and Europe berth in the next few years, the industry stresses it's vital port cities can cope. "It was our biggest season and we just got through it. We did have some issues where we had three ships in port on a number of occasions and coaches taking people on excursions were stretched, but we managed. Some of the ports certainly found it challenging to accommodate two or three ships," said Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris. On four days this summer, Auckland had three cruise ships in port simultaneously. The cruise industry is the fastest-growing tourism sector and Tourism New Zealand said it had a huge amount of potential for growth. New Zealand's popularity as a cruise destination has skyrocketed - the number of cruise passengers has increased by more than 250 per cent in the past five years. Mr Harris said New Zealand is consistently rated in the top quartile of destinations in passenger surveys ... MORE (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10877011)