ITC Industry News Bulletin #25

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, New Zealand’s Great Walks are launched on Google Maps, the TIA supports a review of tertiary education, Air NZ wins another top award and much more.

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New Zealand’s Great Walks launch on Google Maps

360 degree views of New Zealand’s Great Walks are now available on Google Maps, including popular tracks such as the Abel Tasman and Routeburn.

The imagery was captured by the Google Street View Trekker, a backpack with more than 300 cameras which take photos every few seconds.

Ross Young, spokesman for Google New Zealand, said the addition of the Great Walks to Google Maps is likely to do wonders for tourism.

“Immersive technology experiences like these give international tourists the chance to see first-hand how stunning our country is before they travel,” says Ross.

“This is a great example of business and government working together to use technology and the internet to tell New Zealand’s story to the world.”

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Last chance to apply for an ITC 2016 scholarship

Last year’s scholarship winners pose with their certificates alongside ITC tutor Ali Rigby.

Would you like to win some money to go towards your studies at the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) in 2016? If you’re passionate about airline, travel or tourism, you could be eligible for a scholarship.

We have a pool of $25,000 on offer, with scholarships ranging between $1000 and $5000 each. Entries close on 7 December, so you have just one more month to submit your application.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to receive financial assistance. Apply now to get your travel and tourism career off to a flying start.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #24

In this week’s industry news, tourism comes closer to toppling dairy as NZ’s top export earner and Waiheke Island is voted as one of the world’s must-visit destinations for 2016, plus much more.

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Waiheke Island world’s fifth best region: Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has named Waiheke Island as the fifth best place to visit in 2016 – an accolade that is expected to attract thousands of tourists to the island’s beautiful shores.

According to Lonely Planet’s marketing director, Chris Zeiher, Waiheke was chosen for its gorgeous natural beauty and abundance of tourism activities.

The island is “a utopia of secret coves, beautiful beaches, rolling vineyards, luxury lodges and bohemian sensibilities,” Mr Zeiher said in a statement announcing the list.

“In 2016 Waiheke Island is welcoming the world to sample from its abundant offerings and inviting all visitors to fall under its spell,” he added.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #23

In this week’s industry news, the border levy fees are set, spring attracts high numbers of international visitors and Fullers is investing in two new ferries, plus much more.

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Level of a new international ‘travel tax’ set

Despite opposition from several industry leaders, including the Tourism Industry Association (TIA), the government is pushing ahead with the ‘travel tax’. New border fees will be charged from 1 January 2016, it was announced last week.

The fee is $21.57 including GST for air travellers (return trip) and $26.22 for those arriving by cruise ship, boat or private plane.

Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, told Radio New Zealand that the fees are in response to the increased number of arriving and departing travellers.

“All travellers are a risk as they could inadvertently carry ‘hitchhiker’ pests or prohibited items with them. The levy will allow border activities to respond to future demand and create a more sustainable platform for border risk management services,” Mr Guy said.

The TIA expressed disappointment with the decision in a press release published late last week.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #22

In this week’s Industry News Bulletin, we take a look at tourism in the South Island, with both Queenstown and Christchurch experiencing growth and forecasting a busy summer season.

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Christchurch CBD Awakens

As construction projects inch closer to completion and companies begin to return to the CBD, the Christchurch business community is enjoying ‘a renewed sense of optimism’, the New Zealand Herald reports.

In this in-depth feature article, the Herald interviews a series of Christchurch businesspeople about the current climate, five years after the 2010 earthquake.

Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce general manager Leeann Watson told the Herald that businesses are now beginning to return to the CBD.

“All businesses had to move out of the central city because it was closed down for a considerable amount of time, so they didn’t have any choice but to go and set up elsewhere,” Ms Watson said.

“What we’re seeing now is those businesses have come back and are coming back.”

Christchurch’s regeneration is a positive sign for the tourism industry, with more people visiting the Garden City each year. Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter is expecting this summer to be another busy season.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #21

Air New Zealand dominates headlines this week, reporting strong growth and winning national recognition at the Tourism Industry Awards.

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Air NZ in its best ever shape

According to businessman Mark Lister, the head of private wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners, Air New Zealand is currently faring extremely well, despite increased competition, capacity increases and other challenges.

“There’s a lot of things that have just gone their way, in terms of fuel prices, tourism trends and the domestic economy,” Mr Lister told the New Zealand Herald.

“But they’ve also made some great progress themselves among the things they can control in terms of fine-tuning routes and making sure they’ve got capacity where they need it, improving the fleet and doing what they can about competition.”

Air New Zealand held its AGM in Auckland yesterday afternoon (Wednesday October 7) and is forecasting strong growth over the next 12 months.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #20

In this week’s ITC Industry News Bulletin, the TIA commit to tackling challenges as the tourism industry grows, a Chinese celebrity fronts a new safe driving campaign and much more

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TIA: the pressures of tourism growth – riding the wave

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is committed to ironing out challenges as the nation ‘rides the wave’ of a huge tourism boom. In a statement released this morning (October 1), TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said the industry’s challenges will be a key agenda point at the TIA National Tourism Summit in Wellington this November.

“With growth come pressures. How can we successfully host thousands more visitors, spread them around the country and make sure they don’t all want to come in summer? How can we protect our natural environment and keep the goodwill of Kiwis? Where will the infrastructure investment come from? Can we attract the right staff? And how can we ensure we consistently deliver world class visitor experiences?” Mr Roberts said.

These challenges are likely to be on many people’s minds as we progress into this next period of growth, just ahead of what looks to be another record summer. The TIA Summit intends to generate discussion around these important issues. Registrations are now open for the event, to be held on Thursday 19 November.

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ITC students enjoy confidence boost with X Factor fun

Every year the ITC Botany Campus holds an X Factor style competition. This is a great way for students to practice their teamwork skills and overcome stage fright.

“The tourism industry is all about people.” This is something ITC students hear multiple times from their tutors throughout their studies. ITC places a huge emphasis on customer service skills, as there’s nothing more important in the tourism industry than being able to work with a variety of different people – all while maintaining a bright smile and friendly attitude.

For some people, great customer service comes naturally, but for others – especially those who are shy – it can be hard to talk easily to strangers. The ITC tutors do their best to give shy students a confidence boost, through effective training and support.

However, sometimes the best confidence boosts come through trying something a little bit different!

Every year the ITC Botany Campus holds an ‘X Factor’ style competition. This student event is designed to be a bit of fun, but it has the added bonus of helping people overcome their stage fright and learn how to speak with confidence in front of crowds – a skill that is invaluable out in the industry.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #19

In this week’s industry news, New Zealand’s tourism outlook continues to go from strength to strength, we reflect on a busy winter season and much more.

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TIA: “It’s an exciting time to be in tourism”

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) published another bright outlook regarding New Zealand’s booming tourism sector late last week, with Chairman Grant Lilly commenting “it’s an exciting time to be in tourism”. New Zealand is on track to achieve its Tourism 2025 goals and there’s no doubt the future is looking excellent.

However, Mr Lilly did acknowledge a couple of key challenges, such as attracting the right talent to the industry and ensuring businesses can cope with fast growth.

“The speed of growth is certainly creating some challenges for us, amongst them the persistent issues of seasonality, lack of regional dispersal, insufficient infrastructure investment and the growing demand for people and skills,” Mr Lilly said.

Mr Lilly added that the demand for trained tourism workers is especially important, as “many sectors are striving to attract more people and skills, so this is not a problem that is unique to tourism […] it does mean we have plenty of competition for the best and the brightest.”

The Chairman’s comments are a further reminder of the importance of quality tourism courses and training in New Zealand.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #18

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, i-SITEs around New Zealand are celebrated, the TIA supports the construction of a new hotel on Auckland’s waterfront, the Government opens a new round of tourism funding, and much, much more.

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Opportunities for tourism industry investment

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is pleased that a new luxury hotel is being constructed on Auckland’s waterfront.

According to TIA chief executive Chris Roberts, projects like the Park Hyatt development are exactly the type of investments New Zealand needs to stay on track to achieve its Tourism 2025 goals.

“To meet the goals of Tourism 2025, it is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities,” Mr Roberts said in a statement.

He added that new investment projects also create jobs, boost local economies and contribute to “building vibrant communities to live, work and play”.

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