RTO

With more people moving to the region and its tourism profile on the up, the Waikato is looking to capitalise on momentum with its new destination management plan.

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism development manager Nicola Greenwell will take over as interim general manager of the RTO on 3 February.

RTNZ is looking to make the most of the financial resources won over the course of the pandemic in anticipation of the visitor economy and member regional tourism organisations moving past the crisis.

Dawson will join Air New Zealand as its regional affairs manager reporting to Reuben Levermore.

Destination Queenstown and Southern Wellbeing Trust is bringing GoodYarn peer-to-peer mental wellbeing workshops to the resort’s business community.

Lake Wānaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown have partnered this biking season to produce Dirt Report, a weekly round-up of all things biking in the district.

The Coromandel tourism industry is counting on a busy summer after visitor spend fell 34% between August and October 2021, compared with the same period last year.

A strong showing for Waikato in the latest Domestic Visitor Satisfaction research from Tourism Industry Aotearoa reflects the region’s appeal to domestic visitors, says Hamilton & Waikato Tourism.

Destination Queenstown, Lake Wānaka Tourism, and Queenstown Lakes District Council are jointly funding an initiative that enables local businesses and schools to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions and take action to reduce them.

But they are unlikely to have the usual crowds of Aucklanders, says Venture Taranaki’s CEO

Great South has hired former Shotover Canyon Swing boss Stu Cordelle to lead Visit Fiordland.

Visit Fiordland and Visit Southland have formed their own international marketing alliance, to be promoted as ‘Great South’.

Regional Tourism New Zealand also secures $200k to help build capability within RTOs.

Events, sustainability and culture are some of the key areas of focus, says NRDA’s new boss, Fiona Wilson.

Central Otago visitor spend for 2021 is tracking above pre-Covid levels and looks on track to beat 2019, says Dylan Rushbrook.

Whanganui, Taranaki and the Manawatū are jointly launching a pan-region arts trail to showcase works and entice visitors to the lower west coast of the North Island.

Smaller regional tourism organisations are leveraging their weight differently in the post-Covid world.

A turbocharged destination plan, long-term marketing campaigns and city developments are expected to support tourism to Southland and Fiordland.

Tourism Waitaki employees have met with police following abusive comments on social media directed at its foreign-born staff.

Former Destination Rotorua general manager Oscar Nathan has taken the top job at Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Rotorua is launching a campaign to focus on the identity of the region and the people who live there.

Tourism operators in South Waikato say they support leaving the region’s RTO and hope that forging their own path will lead to better outcomes.

South Waikato District Council goes it alone claiming it doesn’t get good bang for buck.

The regions of Waikato, Rotorua, Taupō, and Ruapehu will produce a total of 15 events across the area with an initial round of funding worth $1.6m from the Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund (REF).

Lack of overseas visitors, difficultly in finding migrant workers cited.

WellingtonNZ is to launch its Wellington Welcome campaign targeting potential visitors from Australia on Monday 31 May.

Tourism Waitaki’s 16-week winter campaign will include a nine-episode web series on its website and social media channels.

Great South has allocated $287,500 to 11 events across Fiordland and Southland in its first deployment of the government’s regional events fund.

Organisers have “flipped the script doing away with scallops altogether,” says Destination Coromandel GM Hadley Dryden.

A range of RTOs have partnered together on the programme.

Move comes after RTO absorbed into Southland economic development agency Great South.

Destination Fiordland becomes part of economic development agency Great South from today, 1 April 2021.

New campaign launching this week features work by local photographers designed to lift spending.

Auckland Unlimited and Hamilton & Waikato Tourism have launched a month-long joint venture campaign.

Destination Fiordland and the tourism division of economic development agency Great South will be renamed Visit Fiordland and Visit Southland from 1 April 2021.

Boating, sports, food and arts events have secured funding from Destination Coromandel’s $80,000 Signature Events Marketing Fund.

Enterprise Dunedin has hired Stafford Strategy to refresh its destination plan for the city.

A former airline CEO and Air NZ marketing manager has taken one of the country’s top destination marketing jobs.

Northland Inc has partnered with Auckland Unlimited to deliver a campaign through AA promoting travel to the two regions.

Northland Inc has launched a new survey to collate local visitor industry data.

How did the river city, traditionally overlooked by visitors, top RTO area spend in 2020?

The former operator says the biggest priorities for the Regional Tourism Organisation at the moment “are around trying to help businesses in the industry here survive”.

A campaign showcasing Central Otago locals giving thanks to visitors has exceeded expectations, says Tourism Central Otago general manager Dylan Rushbrook.

Lake Wānaka Tourism has launched the Local’s Choice Wanaka 2020 competition.

Northland Inc’s tourism team says it will help “turn around the message” for operators following the new Covid case.

Event organisers in the Coromandel can now apply for marketing support from Destination Coromandel’s $80k Signature Events Marketing Fund.

The update and re-release of the map coincided with the opening of Northland’s newest tourism attraction, the $9.6m Manea Footprints of Kupe.

Some of the country’s leading destination marketers give their views of the new minister and his messaging.

If ever a sporting analogy can be used to summarise a year then now is the time, writes the agency.

The tourism industry has been bereft of a suite of relevant data, says DWC’s Jim Little.