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We hear this phrase a lot, particularly in tourism: “My website is just a digital brochure.”

It sounds harmless, but it’s one of the most expensive beliefs a tourism business can hold. Because your website isn’t a digital pamphlet. It’s not there just to look nice, list a few facts and prove you exist.

Your website is your hardest-working sales tool where you own both the content AND the customer relationship. If done well, it provides content for AI Search, and works while you’re on the water, guiding a tour, cleaning rooms or sleeping.

But if it’s been built and treated like a brochure, it’s probably underperforming.

This mindset will cost you bookings.

The problem with brochure thinking

Brochure-style websites focus on telling, not selling. They tend...

Everyone knows the basics of SEO: use keywords, write great content, get backlinks, keep your site speedy. But what about the less obvious stuff? Those subtle signals that can give your website a quiet nudge up the rankings while your competitors are still obsessing over meta tags and blog lengths?

Here’s a look at a few clever, lesser-known SEO 'hidden secrets' you might not have thought of, the kind that layer nicely on top of your existing efforts and can make a real difference to your digital visibility.

1. Reply to Google Reviews with Purpose

One of our clients recently asked if adding keywords into their Google review replies helps with SEO, and the short answer is yes, a little!

While Google doesn’t directly score the text in replies the way it does for your...

After a highly successful launch last year, we're is thrilled to announce the return of our November Thanks-Give-Away campaign for 2025. 

Running throughout November, this month-long celebration is our way of saying a heartfelt thank you to the tourism industry that continues to inspire and support our work. The campaign reflects Tomahawk’s gratitude for the tourism professionals who make Aotearoa’s visitor economy thrive and its ongoing commitment to helping them succeed online. 

More than NZD$15,000 worth of digital marketing services will be up for grabs, with four lucky winners each selecting their prize from a pool of eight marketing services. Delivered by Tomahawk’s expert team, these prizes include a range of digital growth opportunities such as a Google Ads...

The Kingdom of Tonga has unveiled its new destination brand, “Kingdom of Tonga: The Friendly Islands”, developed in partnership with Tomahawk. 

Drawing on Tonga’s globally recognised nickname, The Friendly Islands, the new brand celebrates the nation’s warmth, hospitality, and vibrant culture. Each letter in the TONGA logo has been carefully designed to reflect traditional tapa patterns and cultural motifs, creating a visual identity that brings the country’s rich heritage to life. 

What sets this rebrand apart is its people-led approach. Over 20 months, Tomahawk conducted extensive research and workshops across four islands, including 15 workshops and over 20 consultations with tourism operators, cultural leaders, schools, community members, and government representatives....

Definition of a Search Engine

As AI and social media has evolved, “search engine” no longer just means Google. The definition of a search engine is now about how travellers find trust, inspiration, and the confidence to book. Whether that’s through a 30-second TikTok, a Google AI summary, or an AI chat conversation that builds their itinerary - search has become more conversational and human.

Today, “search” happens everywhere. And for tourism businesses, that means you need to know where your potential guests are looking. Let's have a look at where they are searching, and the typical behaviour of different generations.

Google’s Not Gone But It's Evolving

Google still dominates much of the discovery and booking process, but how people use it has evolved. With AI...

Tourism businesses should be on TikTok! The video footage and stories you can share are perfect for this platform with highly visual content that will inspire travellers! Gone are the days of needing to produce and direct professional style promo videos for social media - simply use a smart phone to gather footage and images, use the TikTok built in editors to add music, captions, text overlays and more!

All you need is a content plan to keep it going and use your team on the job to create the content! The main thing to remember with TikTok is to keep videos vertical for mobile (not the traditional horizontal format) 

TikTok Profile Page

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