ITC Industry News Bulletin #44

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, the South Island credits Instagram with attracting more visitors to its shores in 2015, several tourism operators challenge Easter trading laws and much more.

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New Zealand’s South Island Sees Tourism Boom Thanks to Instagram Photos Like These

The South Island reported record visitor growth in 2015, far exceeding the North Island – and many tourism leaders believe this could be thanks to Instagram.

Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager James Helmore told stuff.co.nz that they invested a lot of time into boosting Wanaka’s Instagram presence last year.

“We’ve done everything from Insta-meets, when you get a whole lot of people coming together to take photos to put on Instagram, to hosting influencers from around the world,” says James.

The link between Instagram and the South Island’s tourism growth caught the attention of international media, with Conde Nast Traveller covering the story. Click the ‘read more’ button below to read Conde Nast’s full coverage and see some of 2015’s most beautiful South Island Instagram pics.

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Ten New Zealand Instagram accounts you need to follow right now

Discover more about our travel and tourism industry by following our favourite NZ Instagram accounts.

One of the best ways to learn more about New Zealand’s exciting airline, travel and tourism industry is through social media. Forget selfies and food snaps – scenic shots of NZ’s beautiful landscapes are where it’s at! Follow these ten beautiful accounts to stay up-to-date with the NZ tourism industry’s top players.

1. Air New Zealand

With 123,000 followers (and climbing!), our national airline’s Instagram game is strong. Follow @airnz for stunning pics of planes, inspirational travel quotes and more.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Air New Zealand ✈️ (@airnz)

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #43

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, AA Traveller has launched a new website designed to encourage more domestic travel, Auckland is making its mark as a popular travel destination and much more.

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Growing domestic travel to support NZ economy

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is pleased to see New Zealand travel companies such as AA Traveller promoting the growth of domestic tourism.

Earlier this week AA Traveller launched a new campaign and website called ‘Great Spot Specials’ which offers a way for Kiwis to book local travel at great discounted rates. The site features exclusive deals for AA members and AA Smartfuel card holders.

TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said the timing of this new campaign couldn’t be better.

“Easter traditionally marks the end of the peak tourism season. We are delighted that AA Traveller is encouraging Kiwis to see their own backyard through this autumn and winter,” Mr Roberts said.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #42

In this week’s NZ airline, travel and tourism news, the TIA highlights the importance of protected marine areas to NZ tourism, Air New Zealand explores biofuel options and much more.

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Opportunity for marine tourism to benefit NZ

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is highlighting the potential benefits ‘marine tourism’ could bring to New Zealand.

In a submission to the Ministry for the Environment, the TIA is calling for the government to consider tourism when making decisions about marine protected areas.

“Tourism operators such as whale watch operators, seal swimming operators, diving and snorkelling operators, kayak operators and recreational fishing charters have strong links and interests in marine protected areas,” says TIA chief executive Chris Roberts.

Mr Roberts added that new marine protected areas could “support the tourism industry’s Tourism 2025 goal of growing total annual tourism revenue to $41 billion over the next decade”.

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What to expect when you visit ITC

ITC is a warm and welcoming college. Visit us to meet with our friendly staff and learn more about a career in airline, travel or tourism.

You’ve heard about this awesome travel and tourism school called the International Travel College of New Zealand. You want to visit the City or South Auckland campus to check out the atmosphere and see if it could be the right college for you. But… you’re nervous. What will it be like? Who will you meet? Will you have to take a test? What if you come unprepared?

Take a deep breath!

We can reassure you that visiting ITC for the first time isn’t a nerve-wracking experience. The pictures you see on social media don’t lie – ITC really is a warm and welcoming college with friendly staff and students. And you can drop in and visit us any time!

To alleviate your anxiety, we’ve outlined exactly what you can expect from a visit to ITC. Read on and you’ll see there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #41

In this week’s NZ airline, travel and tourism news, the countdown until TRENZ 2016 is on, a leading property expert calls for more hotels to be developed and much more.

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International travel buyers flock to TRENZ 2016

TRENZ 2016 is set to welcome the highest number of international travel buyers since 2007: a total of 356 from nearly 30 different markets. Interest in this conference – which will be held in Rotorua between May 10 and 13 – is soaring.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said this is “excellent news for the industry” and that TRENZ is a highlight of NZ tourism’s calendar.

“With 300 operators from New Zealand coming face to face with international buyers, showcasing the best that New Zealand can offer, TRENZ is the pinnacle event of the year for the travel trade,” Mr Bowler added.

“I am really looking forward to attending TRENZ again for what’s shaping up to be a highly successful four days for buyers and the industry alike.”

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #40

In NZ tourism, travel and airline news this week, the world’s longest flight is currently in the air, luxury Auckland hotel The Langham is up for sale and much more.

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Visitors spending increases 31 per cent from 2014

Every week there seems to be new data depicting the exponential rise of international visitors to NZ and this week is no exception. According to a recent survey, spending by international visitors has increased by 31 per cent since 2014.

Visitors from Australia, China and the US are our largest markets, spending $2.4bn, $1.6bn and $1bn respectively.

Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett told Newshub that this is further evidence of tourism’s burgeoning success.

“It’s now worth $10.6bn, or nearly five percent of our GDP, and one in every eight people employed are now directly or indirectly related to tourism,” she said.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #39

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, Auckland Airport chief executive is confident about the future of NZ tourism, Air New Zealand reports profit increases and more.

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Auckland Airport boss confident NZ can sustain tourism growth

The chief executive of Auckland Airport, Andrew Littlewood, is full of optimism about the future of New Zealand tourism. He believes with the right approach, the country can achieve further growth – providing the country finds a way to adapt to the increasing number of visitors.

“There are plenty of opportunities for this country but we will have to be receptive,” Mr Littlewood said.

He compared New Zealand’s tourism industry to that of Ireland, a country similar in size but which welcomes a lot more visitors each year.

“Ireland, which is also a small country with 4.5 million people, has 8.6 million visitors a year and I don’t think the people of Ireland think those visitors are taking over the country,” he said.

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Another ITC student scores highest marks in NZ for IATA exam

ITC tutor Steve Burke is pictured with high achiever Danielle Barham, who scored the highest marks in New Zealand for her IATA Foundation exam.

Danielle Barham is the latest ITC student to score the highest marks in New Zealand for the challenging IATA exam. She follows in the footsteps of ITC graduates Anastasiya Kolchunova and Hayley Miles, who both scored top marks in previous years.

IATA – the International Air Transport Association – is a global trade association for approximately 260 airlines. The highly regarded IATA Foundation course covers topics such as international airfare calculations, aspects of running a travel business, world geography, international rail, cruises, tours, hotels and international travel regulations. It also covers booking systems such as Amadeus and Galileo.

To score top marks in this exam – which takes three hours to complete and is marked by IATA in Montreal – is a huge achievement.

“It is fantastic that Danielle has achieved so highly in a subject which is quite tricky to learn,” says ITC’s Head of Academic Services Tessa Henwood.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #38

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand is voted ‘Top Country in the World’ by Wanderlust Magazine, Kiwis are flying more than ever, Wellington is set for a huge weekend thanks to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and much more.

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New Zealand wins ‘Top Country in the World’ award voted by British travellers

The people of Britain have spoken: New Zealand is the ‘Top Country in the World’ according to readers of UK travel magazine Wanderlust.

New Zealand was rated the top nation out of 168 countries and scored an overall satisfaction rating of 97 per cent. Nearly 3,000 readers voted as part of the Wanderlust Travel Awards.

Tourism New Zealand General Manager of the Americas and Europe regions, Bjoern Spreitzer, believes this award tops off a great period of growth from the UK market.

“This award isn’t the only good news from the UK as the market is currently growing strongly – in 2015 almost 86,000 visitors chose New Zealand for their holiday, up 11 per cent on the previous year,” Mr Spreitzer said.

“British visitors are valuable to the economy as their average length of stay is more than three weeks and they spend money in most regions around New Zealand,” he added.

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