Ideal visitors targeted in tourism marketing

By SIMON HENDERY tourism writer

Four years ago in Queenstown a "somewhat apprehensive" Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton took the stage at the tourism industry's annual conference to launch a global marketing campaign - 100% Pure.

The industry was emerging from a time now referred to as "the troubles", a turbulent political period in 1998 and 1999 when the public perception of tourism had more to do with a controversy involving the then Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, Tourism Minister Murray McCully, and advertising man Kevin Roberts than it did about visitors and vistas.

This week Hickton returned to the same stage at the Tourism Industry Association conference in a much better frame of mind.

Since 100% Pure was launched, annual overseas visitor arrival numbers have risen 33 per cent and spending by tourists has jumped an impressive 75 per cent.

In a bid to widen that gap between growth in numbers and growth in spending even further - in other words increase the industry's yield - Tourism NZ has fine-tuned its marketing efforts to focus on what the agency calls the "ideal visitor".

The ideal visitors are "interactive travellers" - experienced travellers who prefer engaging with the culture rather than just resting up in a hotel with martini in hand.

They are likely to be high-income earners, but not necessarily, aged between 25 and 34 or 50 and 64.

They read the business section of the newspaper, enjoy fine wine, and read travel guide books to plan their holidays.

They want to visit New Zealand for an "authentic" experience of the country and the industry likes them because they stay longer, do more, and spend more.

And - importantly for an industry with a limited marketing budget - on returning home they tell their similarly-disposed friends about their holiday.

Speaking at this week's conference, Sue Leitch from boutique British travel company Turquoise said New Zealand was in vogue because holidaymakers were increasingly looking for an unspoiled destination and wanted to get off the beaten track.

Britain is this country's second largest source of tourists behind Australia and arrival numbers are expected to grow by about 9 per cent over the next year.

Leitch said she believed New Zealand could work harder in the British market to give potential visitors more of a taste of what the country had to offer.

The honeymoon market - young couples wanting to get away for a unique break - was one which had more potential to be developed, she said.

Mark Campbell from Virtuoso, an umbrella group for 235 top-end US travel agencies, said interactive travellers tended to research their holidays over the internet but book through an agent.

The type of visitors New Zealand was aiming to attract were those who sought out quality travel agents - those who would not only book a visit to a winery but had the knowledge to organise dinner with the winemaker.

"Quality" was a key talking point at this week's conference.

Tourism Minister Mark Burton said the industry's long-term viability was dependent on ensuring tourists received a world-class experience, whether it be their accommodation, food, the activities they took part in or the places they visited.

A milestone was reached this week with the 1000th businesses being accredited to Qualmark, the tourism industry's official quality assurance system, which has grown from 800 businesses in April.

Brand strategist Howard Russell, also speaking at the conference, said the tourism industry's aim should be to turn visitors into brand evangelists for the country.

"We want them to be good story tellers for New Zealand. We want them to tell intimate, exciting, thrilling stories about their visit here. ... We want them to tell stories about breathtaking vistas, about 9-pound trout, about unforgettable meals, about random acts of generosity, and warmth and humour."

Russell said the 100% Pure message passed the CRAB branding test - it was a clear, relevant, attractive and believable message.

Targeting the wealthy and well-travelled

Government marketing agency Tourism New Zealand has been fine-tuning its sales pitch to focus on a group of international tourists it has identified as "interactive travellers".

* The move to focus its marketing efforts on wealthy, experienced travellers is part of an industry-wide push to increase yields as tourism numbers grow.

* There is no intention to change the three-year-old "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign, but it was increasingly being focused on the 5 to 8 per cent of the population in target countries who could afford to - and were interested in - travelling here.

* Interactive travellers are high-income earners predominantly aged between 25 and 34 or 50 and 64 who are well-travelled and are seeking an "authentic" experience in New Zealand.

* They stay longer in the country, doing more and spending more.

* Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said the focus on this group was not a sea-change for the tourism industry away from its more traditional focus on backpackers and package tours, but was an emphasis for the future direction of the industry.

* As Hickton put it: "Backpackers are very important - they are interactive travellers, they just spend their money on things other than accommodation. They'd rather have an internet connection than a marble bathroom."