Rotorua makes tourism pitch

The annual Trenz conference will be held in Auckland next month. Photo/File

Almost 300 tourism and travel buyers from around the world and New Zealand tourism operators, including representatives from about 35 Rotorua-based attractions and organisations, will converge on Auckland next month to attend Trenz 2014.

The event is New Zealand's $24 billion tourism industry's largest annual international trade show.

This year 260 of New Zealand's leading tourism operators will showcase their products to the 300 buyers who are the most influential in terms of generating international visitors to New Zealand.

The trade show runs from May 18 to 21 at Queens Wharf.

Rotorua Tourism Committee acting chairman Bruce Thomasen said the event allowed Rotorua operators to get in front of key travel wholesalers, inbound operators and product development managers.

"Essentially Trenz is the one place each year where the wider New Zealand tourism industry comes together to 'sell its wares' to international buyers whom are hand-picked by the likes of Tourism New Zealand for their propensity to not only sell New Zealand, but also add real value to New Zealand's tourism offering globally," he said.

Tourism Industry Association communications manager Ann-Marie Johnson said 85 per cent of buyers at last year's event said it was more important than any other marketing and purchasing activities they undertook.

"Buyers are coming from 30 countries to attend Trenz, including traditional visitor markets such as Australia, the UK and the US, and newer markets where New Zealand tourism is targeting high-value visitors, such as Brazil and Indonesia," she said.

Destination Rotorua Marketing representatives will also attend.

"As Rotorua's regional tourism organisation, Destination Rotorua Marketing's core purpose at Trenz is to meet with buyers and media to reinforce the offering and diversity of Rotorua's many attraction, activity and accommodation offerings," Mr Thomasen said.

"A key role is also to co-ordinate Rotorua's regional stand in partnership with those operators that do attend, who together with their peers are there to sign up new business, strengthen existing relationships and also get feedback from various markets on new and immerging client trends, preferences and opportunities."

Rotorua Daily Post tourism reporter Matthew Martin will be reporting from the event.