Award for rail cart business

Stratford tourism business Forgotten World Adventures won a major award in the inaugural Ruapehu Tourism Awards last Thursday.

The company, which runs self-drive rail cart tours between Stratford and Taumarunui, was named the region's Best New Business. It was also named runner-up in the Best Use of Social Media award.

Chief judge Paul Yeo, Tourism New Zealand's industry relations manager, says Forgotten World Adventures (FWA) is an innovative operation that has a thorough understanding of its market.

"A key issue for any new business is to really understand its target market. Forgotten World Adventures has a very different tourism product that is being marketed in a very focused way," he says.

FWA owner Ian Balme says the award gives recognition to the energy and commitment of the talented FWA team.

"The local community and contractors have been incredibly supportive of our venture, which has been quite humbling. When necessary they have gone out of their way to help us keep our visitors on track and enjoying this remote and beautiful part of New Zealand," he says.

To meet its growing demand, FWA has scheduled more than 50 extra tours for the season.

The Ruapehu awards follow the company's success in September in the Westpac Taranaki Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, where FWA was named Best New Business.