100 Tourism businesses boosted online with Tomahawks massive achievement

• Tomahawk delivered 100 new websites for tourism businesses to improve their online presence in the last 18 months

• Tourism businesses invested in their digital presence to rebrand, pivot to a new market or prepare for the resurgence in tourism

• Customers reaping the rewards of their investments

Tomahawk has quietly and confidently improved the online performance of tourism in New Zealand by delivering 100 new websites for tourism customers in the last 18 months.

When lockdowns and travel restrictions brought New Zealand tourism to a standstill, many accommodation and activity providers utilised the slow period to engage Tomahawk—which specialises in tourism—to improve their online presence in preparation for restrictions lifting. 

Funding by various government support initiatives made new websites possible for many customers, while those ineligible for funding saw the value in self-investing in a new website to secure the future of their business.   

Tomahawk Head of Digital Renee Goodsell said that there was a mistaken assumption around New Zealand that all tourism businesses were shutting up shop during that period, but for many that couldn’t have been further from the truth. 

“The pandemic was definitely tough and while some unlucky businesses had no choice but to fold, for others it was an opportunity to rebrand, to pivot towards the domestic market and/or prepare for the New Zealand tourism sector’s inevitable bounce-back,” said Renee. 

“All of these strategies put new websites and digital marketing services high on the agenda, making it a busy time for service providers like us.” 

While some customers opted for a fully custom designed website, others chose to utilise one of Tomahawk’s three ‘themed’ website templates, created specifically for tourism businesses to showcase the best of their offering and provide a seamless user experience.  

The Backpacker Group’s Belinda Hargreaves now has two ‘themed’ websites designed by Tomahawk. She said,

“I loved working with Tomahawk, their CMS is really easy to use and the team are so knowledgeable…I have enjoyed working with them and getting the most out of my businesses.” 

Other services provided by Tomahawk to complement the new websites included content writing, Search Engine Optimisation, advertising campaigns, the ResBook booking system and more.  

Earthlore Nature Tours and Activities opted for package of products and services, with owner Gordon Thompson saying,

“The assistance provided to Earthlore Tours and Activities by Tomahawk has been immensely valuable, enabling us to build an exceptional website with effective SEO, a built-in booking system and a content management system which is easy to use. I can honestly say Tomahawk has helped grow our business ten-fold!" 

Renee Goodsell said that the milestone of launching 100 websites was a rewarding feat for all the Tomahawk staff who worked diligently throughout the pandemic. 

“I am endlessly impressed by the skills and dedication of the T-Hawk team to reach this milestone. It has also been a privilege for us to work with so many resilient New Zealand tourism businesses throughout this period,” said Renee. 

“It’s so fulfilling to see our customers enjoying the many rewards of their new websites, and to see the New Zealand tourism sector begin to thrive once again.” 

100 websites & growing!