Category Archives: Tourism Marketing

Observations from the US | November 2026 

The 24th of October 2026 marked two years since I moved back to California after 30 years in New Zealand. Since over half my life has been in New Zealand, I am equal parts Kiwi and American (even though my accent may say differently).  

Since arriving back, I've been captivated by what Americans are obsessed with; politics, where they/their children went to University, where they are travelling next, the last book read, podcast or movie (everything is about the Elizabeth Holmes movie right now).   

Post-Covid and now thanks to AI, what they think about travel is truly fascinating.  I've noticed some interesting contradictions and emerging trends around travel. 

We're using machines to make travel more human. Go...

If Facebook and Instagram are part of your tourism marketing strategy, there's a new development worth keeping an eye on.

Meta has introduced Meta One, a subscription service offering additional tools, AI features and account management capabilities for creators and businesses across its platforms. The aim is to help businesses build their online presence, grow their audience and manage customer interactions more effectively.

But what does this mean for tourism businesses, and is it worth paying for? Let's take a look at what's on offer and where the new features could make a difference.

What is Meta One?

Announced in September 2026, Meta One introduces paid subscription plans for individuals, creators and businesses across Meta's apps, including Facebook, Instagram...

It’s easy to see why this myth feels true. In tourism, reviews can have a huge influence on booking decisions. Guests want reassurance that the accommodation, attraction or experience they’re considering will live up to expectations.

Even for consistently great tourism businesses however, a bad review can come in - it happens! It's natural to worry about whether everyone is going to see it, believe it and decide to book somewhere else.

While a negative review feels like a very public black mark, customers don’t expect businesses to be perfect, and they certainly don’t expect every guest to have exactly the same experience.

The good news is that, if handled well, negative reviews can be turned around to actually make your business look more credible. What future guests are...

At the beginning of 2026, this seemed like a pretty straightforward myth to bust - "You don't need to be on every social media platform."

Trying to maintain a presence on Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit and whatever new platform appears next week can quickly become a recipe for mediocre content, a marketing team not keeping up, and a lot of time spent posting without much purpose.

Our advice was simple: choose the channels that matter most to your audience and do them well. We still stand by that advice, but...

Plot twist: AI search means you also need a broad digital footprint.

The rise of AI search however, has changed the conversation around what it means for a tourism business to be visible online because while you don't...

We are proud to share that we have become the first New Zealand agency to be named a finalist in the global Skift IDEA Awards, recognised in the "Industry Innovators: Tourism" category for our work creating the new Tonga Tourism destination brand.

More than 490 entries from around the world were submitted for the 2026 Skift IDEA Awards, which recognise innovative work shaping the future of travel and tourism.

Our finalist entry, “By the people, for the people – a living brand,” recognises our people-led approach to developing Tonga’s new destination brand, placing Tongan tourism stakeholders and communities at the heart of the research and brand development process.

“This is fantastic recognition for the Tomahawk team and, most importantly, for our partners at Tonga...

At the recent Tourism Export Council New Zealand conference, one of the key takeaways from industry leaders was clear: traditional booking trends and forward booking data can no longer be relied on in the way they once were.

Traveller behaviour around booking lead times has changed. People are making travel decisions at different points in their planning journey, with some booking well in advance while others are increasingly making decisions much closer to their travel date. The result is a booking landscape that is far less predictable than it used to be.

For tourism businesses, this creates a challenge. If you have historically looked at forward bookings and past booking patterns to determine when to turn your marketing on, increase your advertising spend or launch a...