Author Archives: Michelle Ackers

Working with travel trade in the form of booking agents, wholesalers and inbound tour operators is a traditional and extremely effective method for broadening your booking opportunities internationally.

It does take time and effort to create & develop relationships in order to build a regular source of bookings, however the returns are on this are extremely beneficial and once established you will benefit from being part of a global distribution network.

If you are keen to grow your bookings from the extensive international trade trade, here's  5 ways to help get you started:

1. Join Qualmark

While you may think Qualmark is just about rating your business, it has evolved in to much more including exclusive marketing and travel trade opportunities via Tourism New...

The time has come! From 1 July 2023, we embark on a new era with Google's move to GA4 analytics, saying good bye to Universal Analytics.

But why is this change happening? Let's explore the reasons behind it, understand why tracking is essential for any business, and discover the key differences between UA and GA4. It's all about navigating the concepts of data-driven success!

Why Do We Use Google Analytics?

• Google Analytics allows website owners and marketers to track and analyse various aspects of their online presence.
• You can gather valuable data about your website visitors, such as their demographics, behavior, and interactions.
• This information provides insights into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, helping you make informed decisions to improve...

New Zealand is about to experience a major global sports world cup event being held across the country! In July and August 2023, we will see women's football teams here from all over the globe compete for the world cup. 

It's the biggest sporting event to ever come to New Zealand and will be the single biggest women's sporting event in world history!

FIFA expects over 29,000 visitors to come to New Zealand (20,000 of them from the US!). Reminiscent of the popular Lions Rugby Tours (25,000 visitors from the UK in 2017) & Rugby World Cups (Women's & Mens), this will see a significant peak of visitors wishing to see and experience New Zealand while they are here. 

Matches will be played in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin. Supporters are expected to be take the...

Social media and paid search campaigns are a great way to create awareness and attract traffic to your website to boost bookings, particularly if you have a special offer or you have a seasonal campaign in mind. 

Let’s look at the key components for planning a campaign and apply it to a Mother's Day campaign. If you follow this basic approach each time, you will find it easy to build and implement campaigns regularly to meet any marketing objective and it will become a key tool for marketing your tourism business.

1. Identify your Target Audience 

Determine who your target audience is and what they might be interested in. In the case of a Mother’s Day campaign your target audience may be anyone with a Mum living in New Zealand (or you may break it down by region). With...

If you are looking for truly effective ways to attract bookings, then the answer will lie in understanding the process your target customers go through to make a booking. Having insight to this decision process then allows you to plan a marketing strategy that will resonate with travellers to achieve bookings time and time again!

This brings us to "The 5 Stages of Travel".

Foundation for Marketing: A Travel Cycle

Tourism and travel is the second most common reason why people use the internet. It's an incredibly fast and reliable way of sourcing information about travel destinations, and making the necessary bookings.

As the internet is so highly utilised for travel and tourism, Google spent two years researching the travel experience. They found that: 

• Almost all...

Tomahawk has promoted two key members of their team to strengthen its leadership and manage growth in the business for 2023. 

Renee Goodsell, previously Head of Digital & Engagement, now heads up the entire team as General Manager. Renee’s strong leadership and digital marketing skills at Tomahawk have been evident for several years, so this natural progression is no surprise, and will provide a sturdy foundation for the company as it continues to be a leader in providing tourism digital and marketing services.  

Tomahawks’ Digital Performance Manager, Regan Northwood, has quickly cemented her leadership abilities and earned a promotion to Operations Manager to lead the digital performance and delivery teams.  

Renee is excited about what 2023 and beyond will bring,...