Five ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year in New Zealand

The 2017 Chinese New Year is just around the corner. How will you celebrate the Year of the Rooster?

Around 30,000 tourists are expected to arrive in New Zealand over the coming weeks to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

One of the most famous and ancient celebrations in the world, the Chinese New Year is a great opportunity to experience Chinese culture.

Here are five ways you can celebrate the Year of the Rooster in New Zealand in 2017.

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10 reasons why Auckland is an amazing place to study

Imagine studying in a city like this? Auckland is one of the most livable cities in the world and is a great place for international students.

Thinking about moving to Auckland for your studies? Whether you’re from elsewhere in New Zealand or from overseas, you’ll love this beautiful, vibrant city and its friendly people.

Here’s 10 reasons why Auckland is an amazing place to study.

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Why you don’t need a 10-year career plan

Often the best thing you can do for your career is take it one year at a time (so you can stay open to opportunities on the horizon).

Not sure where you’ll be working in ten years?

That’s totally normal – most people have no idea what they’ll be doing in a decade’s time (especially if they work in travel and tourism!).

The good news is, you don’t need a 10-year career plan. You just need to start somewhere.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #81

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is rated the friendliest country in the world, Te Papa is named as NZ’s best tourist destination, and much more.

Happy New Year! Welcome to another edition of the ITC Industry News Bulletin, bringing you the latest airline, travel and tourism news from around New Zealand. We’ll be changing the format of the Bulletin to an email newsletter in the near future – watch this space! We’ll keep you posted as the transition happens, but in the meantime please enjoy the news :)

TOP STORIES

New Zealand tops list of world’s friendliest countries

The Legatum Institute recently released its Prosperity Index, and while New Zealand gained first place out of 149 countries for prosperity, it also came in first in terms of social capital – of friendliness.

Using 10 years of data, the index takes into account a number of different factors and uses them to judge a nation’s overall prosperity. Social capital is a big part of the study, and New Zealand’s top ranking in this sub-category helped it gain the number one spot overall. This should come as no surprise to locals and visitors who already know about the country’s incredible reputation for kindness.

Norway and Finland came in second and third consecutively, while neighbours Australia also made the top 10 in sixth place.

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Anxious about sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions? Read this

Feeling a bit lost at the start of this new year? Here are some tips to help you set achievable goals and have fun along the way.

Are you struggling to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions? Do the motivational quotes on Instagram make you feel anxious about your own goals and dreams? Are you on day 10 of your new healthy eating plan and all you can think about is pies and fries?

Don’t worry: you’re not alone. Statistics show that only eight per cent of people stick to their New Year’s Resolutions. That means 92 per cent of people give up.

But surely 92 per cent of people aren’t all failures? What if we’re just looking at New Year’s Resolutions in the wrong way?

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Highlights from 2016

It’s been a vibrant and wonderful year at The International Travel College of New Zealand.

December is a time for reflection and celebration; an opportunity to look back at the year that has been and raise a glass to the many milestones achieved along the way.

2016 has certainly been a big year for ITC. We’ve welcomed hundreds of new students, raised money for several charities, turned 20, and so much more.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #80

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand celebrates 15 years as Middle Earth, Air New Zealand releases a new safety video, and much more.

TOP STORIES

New Zealand celebrates 15 years as Middle Earth

In 2001, Peter Jackson launched the first Lord of the Rings film and began a journey that turned the country into a real-life Middle Earth. Now, 15 years later, Tourism New Zealand is celebrating what turned out to be a massive boon for the industry.

The three Lord of the Rings films, as well as The Hobbit prequel trilogy, were filmed throughout the country. Filming locations and Matamata’s Hobbiton recreation are now lasting attractions for visiting tourists and locals alike.

Alongside a short video, the company has created a quiz that will help determine which character you might be, as well as handy guides on what to pack for a trip to Middle Earth depending on the outcome.

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ITC student Luca Bianconi named best performer in NZ for IATA exam

Luca Bianconi, an international student from Italy, holds the letter informing him of his outstanding IATA results.

Please extend a warm congratulations to Luca Bianconi, the best performer in New Zealand for a renowned IATA exam.

Luca scored top marks on the Foundation in Travel and Tourism with Amadeus, becoming the fourth ITC student to do so in just four years. He joins Danielle Barham, Anastasiya Kolchunova and Hayley Miles in the ITC “IATA Hall of Fame”.

An international student from Italy, Luca says he thoroughly enjoyed studying for the exam.

“I have always been interested in aviation and I found it quite stimulating,” he said.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #79

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, Lake Tekapo is the country’s most famous Instagram location, Air NZ creates a viral video sensation, and much more.

TOP STORIES

‘Summer Wonderland’ turns Christmas classic into NZ ad

Air New Zealand this week released a video to celebrate the upcoming Kiwi Christmas. It featured international star Ronan Keating, as well as local actor Julian Dennison of ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, and was viewed more than 3.6 million times within 24 hours.

The video opens with Keating singing the Christmas classic ‘Winter Wonderland’, with Julian cutting in to make regular edits to better reflect the reality of a Christmas in New Zealand. For example, instead of ‘snow is glistening’, Julian suggests ‘your bro is glistening’.

The song perfectly highlights the silliness and fun of a hot day spent outdoors or at the beach, rather than the North American version of snow and fireplaces.

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Six ways to be a tourist in your own backyard this summer

Get a group of friends together and “play tourists” in your own backyard this summer.

One of the best ways to learn about tourism in New Zealand (other than studying at ITC, of course!) is to get out there and experience the industry for yourself.

Here are six ways to be a tourist in your own backyard this summer.

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