ITC Industry News Bulletin #71

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is ranked as one of the safest countries in the world, the Otago Rail Trail continues to attract high numbers, and more.

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New Zealand ranks as one of the safest countries in the world

 A Travel and Tourism Report from the World Economic Forum has just listed New Zealand as the seventh safest country in the world – and a top contender in several other areas as well.

The report is used to create benchmarks in 141 different economies around the world, using 14 different pillars with dozens of indicators. Safety and security is just one of those pillars, and can be used to give travellers an idea of what they can expect from a country.

Finland took the top spot in first place, Australia landed a place as the 13^th safest country in the world, and the US trailed behind in 73^rd.

New Zealand also managed good scores in ‘international openness’ in which it ranked third, and ‘business environment’ in which it ranked eighth.

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20 presents for 20 years

ITC’s 20th Birthday celebrations continue! On Monday, the College awarded 20 presents to 20 lucky students – congratulations to all the winners.

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) is continuing to celebrate two decades of teaching airline, travel and tourism courses.

Celebrations kicked off in late August, when staff and students received a spontaneous day off in honour of the College’s 20th birthday. Then, just a few weeks ago, all students were treated to a free piece of delicious cake.

But what makes a birthday celebration complete? Presents!

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #70

In this week’s travel and tourism news, Auckland welcomes a new Chinese airline, it’s Fijian Language Week in New Zealand, and much more.

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New Chinese airline for NZ 

As tourism ties between China and New Zealand continue to strengthen, another Chinese airline is due to start flying to Auckland. Hainan Airlines will commence a thrice-weekly service between Auckland and Shenzhen in the near future.

The general manager of Auckland Airport, Norris Carter, is celebrating the addition of this new service, saying that it opens up further tourism opportunities.

“This non-stop service will not only grow the number of visitors from Southern China, it will also give Chinese travellers further connecting flight options to Auckland from other areas in China through the extensive Hainan Airlines’ network,” he said.

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ITC raises over $600 for the SPCA

Students from ITC’s Botany Campus recently held a bake sale to raise money for the SPCA.

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) is supporting the wonderful work of the SPCA. Students recently held a bake sale at the Botany Campus and raised a generous $636.70.

It was an amazing day for everyone involved, filled with great company and delicious treats – and all for a great cause.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #69

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, the world’s first privately owned rocket launch site has opened in NZ, regional tourism is on the rise, and more.

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World’s 1^st private space launch site opens in New Zealand

‘Space tourism’ seems to be edging closer and closer every day. Rocket Lab, a US-based company, has opened the world’s first privately-owned space launch site on the Mahia peninsula near Wairoa.

Hawke’s Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas is already anticipating a tourism increase in the area.

“There is genuine interest in space tourism around the world, and the opportunity to see rockets launch from one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand provides a massive opportunity for Wairoa and the wider Hawke’s Bay region as well as Gisborne,” Annie told the New Zealand Herald.

Flights are expecting to sell for a cool $7.6 million and have already attracted the likes of NASA and Planet Labs.

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Cake, cake, and more cake!

ITC Head of Group Services Michelle Chatfield and Student Services Advisor Sharon Roy pose with one of ITC’s 20th birthday cakes.

The International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) is caked out. Earlier this month, we treated all staff and students to a piece of delicious cake to celebrate our 20th birthday – resulting in a mild but totally-worth-it ‘cake hangover’.

“It was cake overload!” says ITC Marketing Director Claire Huxley.

“We ordered a giant cake for the morning and afternoon classes at both campuses. It was wonderful to take some time out of the day to celebrate this special occasion.”

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #68

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, winter visitor arrivals reach record highs, the Air New Zealand 75 Years exhibition opens in Christchurch, and much more.

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Winter warmed by highest holiday visitors on record

Another week, another tourism record! It’s been a cracker winter for the New Zealand tourism sector. Just under 317,000 international holidaymakers visited in winter – a huge jump from 268,272 in 2015.

One market showed particularly significant growth – American visitors increased by 52 per cent.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler attributes this increase to new flight paths between New Zealand and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Houston.

“The increased flight connectivity means that New Zealand’s natural landscapes, unique visitor experiences, cuisine and world class conference facilities are now more accessible than ever to US citizens,” Mr Bowler said.

Arrivals from Australia, China and the UK are also up.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #67

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, visitor records are broken yet again, a gondola is proposed for the top of a major glacier, and much more.

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Gondola proposed for top NZ glacier

The Franz Josef Glacier is one of New Zealand’s top attractions, and a recent proposal to add a gondola to the experience could make it even more popular.

Skyline Enterprises, the company behind the gondolas in central Queenstown and Rotorua, have proposed a new feature gondola that runs alongside and above the Franz Josef Glacier. This would allow visitors a closer, easier, and more affordable look at this incredible location.

At this stage, the glacier is only accessible by helicopter, which minimises the number of people who can visit the site.

The plans will now be discussed by the Department of Conservation and other groups in order to weigh up the pros and cons of such an installation.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #66

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealanders are invited to vote for their favourite travel experience, government funding is now open for tourism initiatives, and more.

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Kiwis given the chance to vote on their favourite tourism experience 

Most tourism awards in New Zealand are voted on by panels or overseas visitors, but now Kiwis will be given a chance to vote on their favourite experiences throughout the country as a new part of the New Zealand Tourism Awards 2016. As a bonus, all voters for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ will go in the draw to win a holiday.

There are 14 finalists around the country that New Zealanders can pick from to place their votes. These include NZSki, Rainbow’s End, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools, Auckland Seaplanes, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and more.

TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said that every single one of the finalists offers an “outstanding experience for Kiwis and international visitors alike”.

“The ‘People’s Choice Award’ also highlights the importance of domestic tourism in New Zealand,” he added.

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Five key takeaways from Discussing Tourism Auckland

ITC students Meleane Teu and Alapasita Tupou recently attended the Discussing Tourism Auckland event. Here they are pictured together, and with ITC Managing Director Kerry Priestley.

Last month, two students from the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) won tickets to attend Discussing Tourism Auckland, an informative event hosted by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA). Below, one of the lucky students – Meleane Teu – shares three key things she learned on the day.

It was a great opportunity to be selected to attend this event. We were lucky that our home tutor, Dr Amira, informed us about the event and asked us if we wanted to go. I applied straight away, and not long after I received an email confirming that I had won a ticket.

I learned a lot from the event. We are currently studying a number of the topics discussed in our Diploma in Tourism and Travel Management Level 5.

Here’s five things that stood out the most.

Tourism 2025 strategy

The chief executive of TIA, Chris Roberts, spoke about New Zealand’s tourism strategy for 2025. This is something we have analysed in class, so it was very interesting to hear firsthand from Mr Roberts about what has happened in the two years since the strategy launched. He spoke about how industry is growing and the challenges that New Zealand faces.

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