Category Archives: Branding & Design

We often talk about how tourism websites should be designed with one goal in mind: attract visitors from search engines (mostly Google) and convert them into bookings. While that objective remains the same, the way travellers discover and interact with tourism businesses is changing rapidly.

With AI-powered search experiences becoming increasingly common, travellers are no longer simply clicking through lists of search results. They're asking questions, receiving recommendations, comparing options, and planning itineraries directly within AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode/Overviews, Perplexity and more.

Given this, your website has two audiences to consider:

• Human visitors looking to book
• AI search tools looking to understand and recommend your...

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....

If you're a tourism business trying to stand out online today, you’ve likely felt the challenge of producing content that actually gets noticed. The right content done well will help to drive visibility, trust, and engagement across every digital channel. But content has evolved and the way we plan, create, and share it has to evolve too.

When putting together content you need to consider how to:

• Reflect your brand identity
• Satisfy Google’s ever-changing search algorithms, AND AI search platforms
• Connect meaningfully with your audience

Here’s a look at how content creation has changed across three key perspectives: SEO, social media, and AI, and why storytelling is the common thread that can tie it all together.

1. The SEO Perspective

Then:

SEO used...

We often hear how tourism businesses and destination marketers should use storytelling techniques to connect with their audiences and entice travellers to book. But what does it actually mean, and how do you go about it in an authentic way that works? 

We delve into these questions and more in a webinar dedicated to Storytelling for Tourism, complemented by a comprehensive eBook to support your storytelling strategy! These key resources will uncover the following key insights and tips:

• Why storytelling is essential in tourism
• The impact of a well-told story
• How to define your brand’s unique narrative
• Tips to resonate with your ideal audience
• Visual storytelling
• Storytelling across digital platforms
• An actionable plan to bring it all together

Watch the...

We are thrilled to announce our selection as a 2024 Culture New Zealand Award winner, a prestigious accolade that highlights companies with an unwavering commitment to creating an exceptional workplace environment. This recognition showcases our team's dedication to fostering collaboration, nurturing creativity, and prioritising people at every level. 

Organised by Hyer, the Culture New Zealand Awards set an incredibly high standard, evaluating over 5,000 companies and interviewing more than 20,000 employees to identify the top 100 organisations exemplifying workplace excellence and values-driven leadership. 

The benefits of this recognition extend far beyond our Tomahawk internal team. A motivated and cohesive team ensures that the tourism businesses we partner with receive...

Tomahawk is excited to announce that our founders and company directors are relocating to California. The move comes at a pivotal time, aligning with personal family considerations while also offering exciting new opportunities for Tomahawk to further connect with key markets and ensuring they are better positioned to support customers and capitalise on growth. 

"We're thrilled to be taking this big step change," says Gina Paladini. "Relocating to the US allows us to be closer to some of our biggest tourism markets, and it's an exciting chapter both for us and for Tomahawk as we continue to explore expanding our global customer base." 

Paladini and Hayson believe the timing of the move couldn't be better, particularly with the strong leadership of General Manager Renee...