22 REGION OCEANIA
22 REGION OCEANIA Increased Partner Presence at Tourism Australia Stand Whether heading for the outback or to a chic city restaurant, Aussie quality and welcome are under the spotlight at ITB Berlin Four years into Australia’s Tourism 2020 Plan, with highly ambitious targets, the goal of Tourism Australia – precisely identifying customer wants and needs – has been achieved. According to Eva Seller, Regional General Manager Continental Europe for Tourism Australia, the next stage implies targeting those markets that are best placed to help Australia deliver its growth targets… Eva Seller Regional General Manager Continental Europe for Tourism Australia Our biggest challenge is that there is continued competition globally for the tourism dollar and we need to ensure that Australia maintains or ideally even grows its market share in the global travel market. We know there are other destinations out there so we obviously need to stay very switched on and on the ball. Which destinations / products will be particularly under the spotlight this year at ITB Berlin, and why? Actually all of our state and territory tourism partners will be present at ITB Berlin, which is fantastic for us. At this year’s ITB Berlin, we are extremely happy because we have more stand partners than before. We have about 25 (…) THERE IS A BIG PERCEPTION GAP CONCERNING FOOD AND WINE, BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TO AUSTRALIA AND THOSE WHO HAVE VISITED THE COUNTRY Hall 5.2A Stand 119 partners for the Australian part of the stand, and we continue to share the stand with Tourism New Zealand. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are present this year at ITB Berlin, so that makes us very happy as well. A particular focus will be on high profile products, such as the Great Walks Initiative, and we actually have two operators on the stand that reflect that. One is the representative from the initiative itself, who represents The Great Walks overall and then we have a commercial partner called “Australian Walking Holidays” and they are attending ITB Berlin for the very first time. We will also place a particular focus on food and wine, because this is a major part of the travel experience. Extensive research has identified food and wine as a key interest point for tourists and we’ve developed a concept called “Restaurant Australia”. It turns our there is a big perception gap concerning food and wine, between those who have not been to Australia and those who have visited the country. The research project by BDA in Sydney found that only 26% of people outside Australia, who have not been there, associate the country with a good food and wine offering, which is pretty poor to be honest. But once people have been to Australia, over 60% ranked it straight after France and just ahead or just behind of Italy, and of course both of these markets are traditionally wellestablished food and wine countries. The nationals of some countries even rank it as #1. After being in Australia, visitors from China, the USA, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UK and South Korea, our country as the best place in the world for food and wine. Obviously for us, this gives us a great challenge - in closing or narrowing that gap between those who haven’t been and have a rather poor opinion and those who have been and say, “This is fantastic.” We know that we can deliver on that promise and that’s why this Restaurant Australia initiative is currently being worked on. It’s something that we will talk about at ITB Berlin. It will be officially launched in May or June. Saffire-Freycinet / Marine-Farm-Experience How important is ITB Berlin for the participants under the Aussie flag? As I mentioned, we have actually seen an increased take-up of the offer of becoming our stand partners. So from an Australian perspective, ITB Berlin is and continues to be important. We believe ITB Berlin is a great place to network, but also to get some insights on news and new travel trends. We know that most of our stand partners are there to make new contacts, but also to strengthen the existing business relationships and ideally develop some new leads, especially our inbound tour operators. For them, ITB Berlin is an invaluable opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and find new business. So for us, it continues to be important to be present at ITV and to inspire travellers to come to Australia. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 28 th February 2014 www.itb-berlin-news.com
OCEANIA REGION 23 New Zealand Reaches Out to Luxury Market High net-worth individuals (HNWI) targeted as new key focus by the island nation © DR Travellers in the premium sector are increasingly looking for new and authentic experiences. Tourism New Zealand has recognised this fact and will be presenting its new strategy to industry professionals at ITB Berlin. We asked Gregg Anderson - Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Western Markets what the main reasons are for this new marketing approach… Gregg Anderson Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Western Markets Because very little data exists in the “niche” HNWI visitor sector, TNZ has begun a data collection and reporting process in partnership with the Luxury Lodges of New Zealand to collect visitor revenue data by country to benchmark the size of the NZ luxury travel market and to measure the results of its activities aimed at increasing revenue. TNZ says it intends to expand this data collection to include DMCs (Destination Management Company) and other luxury travel product providers. TNZ is also commissioning research and contact databases from WealthX and UBS to target family office travel advisors, private bank travel concierges and other HNWI travel advisors and influencers. TNZ will be joining the International Luxury Marketing Council with local chapters in the Hall 5.2A Stand 119 Tourism New Zealand has established a longterm strategy in order to increase the number of high value visitors to the destination. New Zealand’s luxury product and the experiences that our diverse landscapes offer, provides a world-class destination for a luxury market that demands authenticity, exclusivity and experiential travel. What is the current state of the HNWI market in NZ and what are the main potential source markets? Primary targets are key source markets with the highest concentration of HNWI’s including North America, Europe and Asia. The UK, Germany and France hold 90% of Europe’s high net worth INSIGHTS – TNZ COMMISSIONS NEW RESEARCH US, Europe and Asia that will help provide access to local marketing partners and media as well as provide valuable insights into the luxury travel trends within those regions. Additional insights from TNZ and MBIE will be made available to NZ luxury travel trade via the TNZ travel trade website. individuals, so this is a key focus for Tourism New Zealand, along with the US, which remains the leader in terms of luxury consumption. China, Japan and Hong Kong will be key markets for our Premium team in Asia. What in particular are you doing to develop this sector as a DMO? We have established a premium strategy targeted with increasing the awareness of New Zealand as a unique luxury destination, and in place to increase the overall revenue of the New Zealand luxury sector year on year. The latest additions to the Tourism New Zealand team include Premium Trade Managers in Europe, North America and Asia to penetrate the key markets and work with premium travel sellers in these regions. Kate Fenton has recently started as the Premium Trade Manager for Europe and is based in our London office. . Are there any particular attractions or properties at ITB Berlin that should be underlined? Tourism New Zealand’s ITB Berlin stand is supported by some key partners and suppliers representing the destination’s product. They are on hand to provide information on our luxury properties and new additions to New Zealand’s accommodation portfolio. In Queenstown, the recently opened luxury wellness centre, Aro Ha THE UK, GERMANY AND FRANCE HOLD 90% OF EUROPE’S HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS, SO THIS IS A KEY FOCUS FOR TOURISM NEW ZEALAND and The Lodge properties at Hills Golf Course are the latest additions, and in the North Island the Kinloch Club is expanding with the launch of a 5-star luxury lodge and 26 luxury villas due to open in late 2014. How important will ITB Berlin be in terms of marketing towards this potential market? ITB Berlin remains a key platform for Tourism New Zealand in terms of showcasing new product, engaging with our valued tour operators and agents who we have worked with and supported for a number of years, as well as sourcing new contacts. We’re encouraged by the spotlight on Luxury that ITB Berlin has planned for 2014. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 28 th February 2014
