Please distribute to all staff

July 19, 2011

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In This Issue

• International Update
• Domestic Update
• Rotorua Convention Bureau
• Media Update
• Google+ (Google Plus)
• Visitor Statistics and Research
• Destination Management
• Upcoming Events

International Update

James Fitzgerald
International Sales Manager
james@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 7108

Australian Campaign wrap up

The Online campaign targeting the Sydney market finished strongly on the 31st June.  Similar to Central Park – there are lots of learnings and some good results overall. In looking at the results we have to look at the 2 objectives for the campaign; 1- exposure and coverage – this was excellent with over 20 million views, 80% of which were unique. We increased our Facebook component early in the campaign and this gave us a 10% increase in sign ups week on week throughout the campaign (so we’ve gathered more fans as well!). Our landing pages for each offer (direct response through from online banners) worked well so that any viewer could get to the call to action within 1 click and we had a satisfactory result from bookings.

It is a little hard to separate out absolute results as there was a lot of activity happening in the Australian market at the same time – with Central Park and Tourism New Zealand also running ski NZ campaigns, both of whom used Value Tours as the IBO partner for Rotorua. Overall we had 264 passengers booked through our deals (so we helped fill up seats for our airport to secure flights), 60 activities booked in addition to the deals themselves, - the most popular being Skyline and Tamaki Village. And unsurprisingly the self drive deal quick escape was the most popular followed closely behind by the family adventure. The operator deals were well visited with over 7000 viewers to individual websites.

All in all, the key learning moving forward is to work closely with TNZ and Central Park so we can dove tail into and leverage off spend in the Aussie market. We are waiting for TNZ campaign research to be completed, at which point we can clearly identify how best to approach the coming years activities in Australia in terms of media, online and leverage.

Domestic Update

Craig Hammond
Domestic and Events Coordinator
craig@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 7102

RWC 2011 Activity Update

i-SITE Famil

Thanks to those involved with the recent i-SITE famil which came through Rotorua a few weeks ago. Timed to be a refresher of the destination leading up to RWC 15 frontline staff spent 2 days in Rotorua and here is a sample of some of the feedback received:

Kia Ora Craig
We had such a wonderful time in Rotorua.  It was great to experience some of Rotorua’s tourist hi-lights. The information packs were great, especially the map.
We are looking forward to informing our clients who are travelling to Rotorua, about all the great things they can do.

Thank you also for the link to your RWC festivities – very helpful and well done.
Many thanks
Kerry Grapes

BIG WIN for Rotorua in Motorhome Rentals

As part of our strategy to target the International FIT RWC visitor, motorhome companies have been approached in an effort to get relevant Rotorua information into their channels to influence those in the planning stages but also looking at ways to have Rotorua information in their collection packs when the visitor arrives to pick up the vehicle.

From this work a proposal to Kea Motorhomes has been recently accepted which will see our Rotorua promotional DVD in every Kea Motorhome rented out during the entire  RWC period.

This totals over 800 and they have also allowed us to add links to rotoruaNZ.com and Rotorua information onto their website.

Auckland Match Day Programmes

Rotorua will be featured in every Auckland hosted RWC game within the official match day programmes. This artwork has now been completed and signed off for inclusion.

Rotorua Wotif  Domestic Campaign

DRM worked together with Wotif.com on a campaign to entice more kiwis to visit Rotorua over the winter period. Having only just finished the campaign focused around a prize competition with four themed packages supported by an online advertising campaign, radio, social media and a Rotorua campaign landing page.

The winners for this have now been announced and we are currently in stages of sending the vouchers. While we are still generating the reports for review of results here is the total number of database sign ups we received which was a great result:

6935 - additions to the DRM Domestic Database as a result of this campaign

Rotorua CitySights HOHO Update

Advertising

The advertising opportunities around the new Rotorua CitySights bus service coming to Rotorua have now almost all been taken. Thank you once again for your support in this area.
If you still wanted to take advantage of advertising within this highly visible and captive visitor market we now only have a limited number of ‘Back of seat’ opportunities available. These do provide a number of benefits

• Captive audience
• Targeted to tourists travelling on the bus
• Excellent opportunity for flexible messaging - ability to be change out at any time during the 12 months.

For example if you were running a monthly special or wanted to change your message quarterly in respect to the seasons this opportunity allows you to do so cost effectively.
If you are interested in advertising within these back of seats please contact Kelly immediately to secure your space.

New DRM flyer to promote Citysights

A new flyer has been produced by DRM to promote the new CitySights service within Rotorua. Primarily a summary sheet of information these are aimed at the trade industry to provide a quick snapshot of information around what the new service offers.

James Fitzgerald our International Sales Manager has taken a number these for his current European trip. If you would like to include this information within your upcoming sales calls please contact Craig.

Rotorua Convention Bureau

Denise Siviter
Rotorua Convention Bureau Manager
denise@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 7106

Meetings 2011

With Meetings behind us now and a large amount of follow up it has been a crazy time. I can honestly say it was an amazing week and all that were involved did a splendid job for the region. The operators from Rotorua worked hard to ensure that the delegates and the exhibitors went away with a wealth of knowledge and a big smile on their face having had a great time.

The spin off from MEETINGS 2011 is inevitable and as Alan Trotter quoted brings an estimated 25 million to NZ of which Rotorua should get a good slice of the pie. The feedback I have already had is confirmation of the business to come.
Here are just some of the comments received:

• Throughout the three days I have absolutely loved the time that I have had at Meetings and feel very fortunate to have been able to do this wonderful event and to be able to join all the other wonderful people like me who run events. To the Sudima, thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality.  I highly rate your hotels and I think you and your team have been totally awesome, you guys rock.

• A really terrific event which will, I expect, put Rotorua on the events map.

• Congratulations must go to you and your team in staging one of the most successful Meetings events ever held in New Zealand. I felt, and it was the same from people around me, that Rotorua excelled at staging the big event last week. Denise it was exceptional, from the minute we stepped off the plane, it was just like we had a first class ticket to the city……………………………………thank you hardly seems enough but I will say it again, thanks Denise, take a bow, it was just fantastic!!!! It was indeed a pleasure to attend.

• well done on being a worthy winner of the best regional stand. I so enjoyed myself. I am so pleased that we are placing our event in Rotorua later this year. It’s all coming together!

• I would just like to say ‘thank you’ for what I thought was a great week at ‘Meetings’. The feedback I have received from both exhibitors and buyers has been very positive and a lot of that is down to not only the region but more so the organisation you and your team achieved in the lead up and during the week. Rotorua is certainly a destination which has a lot to offer and now that we have had the opportunity to not only talk about it but to also show everyone what is here is a huge bonus.

A follow up is currently in the process of being collated and a full debrief will be organised in August.

Some of the highlights from Meetings were the ‘Welcome function’ at Skyline Skyrides, ‘Out of the Blue’ dinner at the Blue Baths, ‘Shuffle’ at the EEC organised and themed by Event Impressions, and all the familiarisations .

facebook.com/RotoruaConventionBureau

Rotorua wins Best Regional Stand 2011

An exciting end to Meetings was the award of the Best Regional stand for 2011. It was decided earlier on prior to the announcement that Meetings 2011 was being relocated to Rotorua that the destination would sport a new look that was  clean and corporate with a cultural element to it, so to take on this project as well had its challenges but the result was worth the hard work put in.

ASTW –Australian Society of Travel Writers

Kathy Nicholls has been given an extension to work with TNZ on this special event. The conference has been confirmed to be held a The Holiday Inn on the 28 -30 October 2011.
TNZ are responsible for all pre and post familirisations as similar to the SATW – Society American Travel Writers.

Association Forum National Conference 27 -28 July 2011

Rotorua will be present at the Association Forum in conjunction with CINZ under the 100% pure banner alongside, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. The Association forum National Conference is Australia’s premier event for those involved in the not for profit sector with 350 400 expected delegates attending. NZ will have a trade area for delegates to meet with the Convention Bureaus during the conference.

CAP Scheme moves to TNZ

Government confirms support for Conference Assistance Programme

The Ministry of Economic Development announced continued Government support for the valuable Conference Assistance Programme. 

Liz MacPherson, Deputy Secretary for the Ministry for Economic Development confirmed the Programme would receive $1.533 million over the next three years from the Major Events Development Fund. 

“This important programme remains a critical part of the government’s strategy to attract more high value business events to New Zealand”, said Ms MacPherson.

Since the programme started in 2005, government has invested over $2.3 million with an estimated return of $49 million from international delegates and accompanying partners.
The role of administering the Conference Assistance Programme will move from Conventions & Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) to Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) from 1 July 2011.

“Thanks to the work put in by CINZ, the Conference Assistance Programme has a solid foundation.  TNZ are already focussed on the attraction of high value visitors to New Zealand, so by transferring the Conference Assistance Programme and with the support of the sector we can harness the power of the agency responsible for the 100% Pure NZ tourism campaign.”

“This will broaden the reach of the programme, attract more business events and make the Conference Assistance Programme work harder for New Zealand,” said Ms MacPherson.

Tourism New Zealand has welcomed the Ministry of Economic Development's decision that Tourism New Zealand will administer the Conference Assistance Programme (CAP) for the next three years.

Rotorua currently has one bid in place which will now be handled by TNZ.

Rotorua Convention Bureau is now on Facebook!

facebook.com/RotoruaConventionBureau

Media Update

Tania Bui
Acting General Manager
tania.bui@rdc.govt.nz

Meetings in the Media

Much of the media over the last 4 weeks has been generated as a result of MEETINGS. Rotorua received exceptional reviews and blogs in New Zealand and Australian media covering everything from the stunning functions that were hosted through to the extensive product, venues and facilities we have to offer to the conventions, incentive and events market. Here is a selection:
etravelblackboard.com, spicenews.com.au

Great Kiwi Coffee

A very last minute opportunity to show urban kiwis that Rotorua does have great coffee came in the form of a TV show with NZ culinary queen and foodie Julie Le Clerc traveling NZ to find great local cafes they are doing some great things in the community (and serving good coffee). With only 2 days notice of the opportunity we were able to link Julie’s team up with Sarah and Andi Uhl and the team at Okere Falls Café. The show “Café Secrets” involves Julie going around NZ, visiting some of the country’s hottest cafes, meeting the owners, finding out how they got started, what their signature dishes are, then showing viewers how to make great café food at home. The show airs in Mid July on TV3.
rotoruadailypost.co.nz

Aucklanders Up to Speed

We also let Aucklanders know we had them in our sights in the business plan and the NZ Herald picked us up – you can read what I had to say when queried about our intent. You will also see that this is part of our strategy of seeding messages into the market to address the misperceptions of Rotorua:
nzherald.co.nz

Update from Mercurios Menu

Mercurios Menu update: We can confirm that Mercurios Menu is being aired in Australia earlier than we first thought – which is great (pre RWC) - Sunday 24th July at 5.30PM on Channel 7 (NSW), Monday 1st August at 5PM on Channel 7 (QLD), In all other states after the AFL season is complete. The producers have also commented that the programme looks great!

Google+ (Google Plus)

Adrian Hodge
Application Developer
adrian@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 8695

With Facebook now having more than 750 million active users (more than 1 in every 10 people on earth) and Twitter with an estimated 200 million users, it's hard to imagine another company trying to challenge for the top spots.

But, just as Facebook was rolling out it's Skype powered video calling feature, Google was launching an invite only trial of it's third attempt at social networking called Google Plus.

It has a set of core features that has a new spin on the approach of sharing and interacting with people that matter to you.

Circles

Think of Facebook and Twitter Lists, but a lot clearer and easier to setup with a drag and drop interface.

*You share different things with different people. But sharing the right things with the right people shouldn't be a hassle. Circles makes it easy to put your friends from Saturday night in one circle, your parents in another and your boss in a circle all on his own – just like in real life.

Hangouts

Have a chat with up to ten friends, in real-time video but with a clever spin that makes the person talking at the moment (or the loudest) the largest on screen.

*Bumping into friends while you're out and about is one of the best parts of going out and about. With Hangouts, the unplanned meet-up comes to the web for the first time. Let your mates know that you're hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. Until we perfect teleportation, it's the next best thing.

Sparks

Using Google's power of search, Sparks let you find people you might be interested in by searching for interests

*Remember when your Grandpa used to cut articles out of the paper and send them to you? That was nice. That's kind of what Sparks does: It looks for videos and articles that it thinks you'll like, so that when you're free there's always something to watch, read and share. Grandpa would approve.

Huddle

*Texting is great, but not when you’re trying to get six different people to decide on a movie. Huddle takes care of it by turning all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so everyone gets on the same page long before thumbs get sore.

We have setup an account for Rotorua. If you've got an account already, add us to one of your circles, or if you'd like to see what all the fuss is about, then we can send you an invite, send an invite request with your Google account email address to Adrian.

*Taken from the Google Plus website

Visitor Statistics and Research

Gina George
Research Co-ordinator
gina@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 7109

Rotorua Commercial Accommodation

(Source:  Statistics NZ - Commercial Accommodation Monitor)
Visitor nights spent in Rotorua commercial accommodation for the month ending May 2011 were down 4.7% over May 2010 (versus +0.9% nationally) - domestic visitor nights were up 0.2% (versus +6.4% nationally) and international visitor nights were down 10.6% (versus ‑7.6% nationally).  For the same period, Rotorua’s only sector with increased growth was the holiday park sector (up 29.1%).  Rotorua’s other sectors had negative growth – hotels (down 6.9%), motels (down 8.5%) and backpackers (down 18.3%). View the latest Rotorua Commercial Accommodation Monitor.

Rotorua Visiting Friends & Relatives

(Source: APR Consultants – Rotorua Private Homes Monitor)
Visitor nights spent in the private homes of Rotorua residents for the month ending May 2011 were up 24.1% over May 2010 - domestic visitor nights were up 42.0% while international visitor nights were down 15.9%.  View the latest Rotorua Private Homes Monitor.

Rotorua Attractions & Activities

(Source: APR Consultants – Rotorua Attractions & Activities Monitor)
Visits to Rotorua Attraction & Activities Monitor participant businesses for the month ending May 2011 were down 13.6% over May 2010 - domestic visits were down 12.7% and international visits were down 14.1%. The full Rotorua Attractions & Activities Monitor is only available to participant businesses, however summary data is available in the Rotorua Tourism in Focus report

Rotorua Airport – Passenger Movements

(Source:  Rotorua International Airport)
For the month ending May 2011 over May 2010 passenger arrivals to Rotorua Airport from Auckland were down 19.2%, Wellington down 2.6%, Christchurch up 3.0%, and Sydney down 38.7%.  For the same period, passenger departures from Rotorua Airport to Auckland were down 21.6%, Wellington down 2.9%, Christchurch down 5.7%, and Sydney down 21.9%.

Asia Visitor Study 2011

(Source:  Tourism New Zealand)
Tourism New Zealand has undertaken product development research to provide information for the New Zealand tourism industry on how visitors from China, South East Asian and India view their New Zealand holiday experience.  Components of the New Zealand holiday experience (eg. ‘experiences’, ‘themes’ or ‘product types’) that appeal to these markets are identified.  Also provided is a comprehensive list of guidelines and practical recommendations for developing product that will best meet the needs and expectations of these visitors.  View the full Asian Visitor Study 2011 and the summaries for the China, Singapore, India and Malaysian markets.

Domestic Travel Survey

(Source:  Ministry of Economic Development - Tourism Strategy Group)
For the year ending March 2011 New Zealanders took 5.7% fewer domestic overnight trips than occurred in the previous year.  However the average length of stay increased from 2.9 nights per trip to 3.1 nights and resulted in only 0.8% fewer visitor nights.  For the same period, the number of day trips increased by 0.9% and domestic tourism expenditure overall increased by 3.2%.  The increased expenditure was driven by the business traveler sector and those visiting friends and family.  By contrast, the expenditure of domestic holidaymakers decreased 2.4%.  External Migration records showed 4.8% more New Zealanders took overseas holidays for the year ended March 2011 than occurred in the previous year and suggests some substitution of domestic holidays for overseas holidays might have occurred.  View more detailed results of the Domestic Travel Survey.

Visitor Insights Programme

The Visitor Insights Programme is a new research 'channel to market' for planners, marketers, strategists and other decision-makers in New Zealand's tourism sector that will deliver new and valuable insights into visitor needs, expectations and experiences at both national and regional levels.  While underpinned by the involvement of a number of Regional Tourism Organisations, the opportunity to purchase question space is available to industry stakeholders - providing a direct channel to market for a wide variety of research needs (eg. testing new product ideas, tracking awareness and interest in specific products, monitoring response to campaign activity etc).  Stakeholder results are confidential to the purchaser and can be analysed by a number of variables such as domestic market segment, international market of origin, age, life cycle stage and travel interests.  Sample size is 300 domestic and international visitors per quarter in each of at least five popular visitor destinations.  Prices for industry stakeholder questions start from $750 plus GST.  Contact Cristine at Angus & Associates for more information phone (04) 499 2212 or email cristine@angusassociates.co.nz

Destination Management

Sustainability In Action @ Kingsgate

The Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter invites you to attend a Sustainability in Action function at the Kingsgate Hotel Rotorua.  The guest speaker at this function is Kevin McGrath of Power Solutions who will present on two subjects: subsidised energy audits and implementation actions for organisations spending more than $50k annually on electricity; and high value/low cost energy reviews for small to medium sized businesses.

Sustainability in Action functions are an opportunity for those interested in sustainability to network over afternoon tea, hear from sustainability experts and learn about the implementation of sustainability actions at Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter member businesses.

Expressions of Interest – DOC Campground Management

The Department of Conservation (DOC) in the Rotorua Lakes area is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from groups/individuals interested in managing DOC campgrounds in the Rotorua area.  The campgrounds are: Tarawera Outlet campsite; Hotwater Beach campsite; Ash Pit Rd campsite at Lake Rerewhakaaitu; Brett Rd campsite at Lake Rerewhakaaitu; and Lake Okareka campsite.  These are Standard DOC campsites in the Rotorua Lakes Area and offer lakeside camping with convenient access to walking tracks, fishing and water sports.  The opportunity would involve the day-to-day management (eg. up keep, cleaning, visitor registrations and management etc) of the campground in return for a portion of the revenue at the site. 

For more information and to register your EOI:

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