A growing number of agents and brokers from across the retail brands have taken advantage of Niue Tourism’s self-famil program, as demand for the island nation continues to grow.
Air New Zealand’s twice-weekly service operates May-Oct and the NTO says the resumption of the service saw a 68% May increase year-on-year—30% higher than pre-covid levels. Niue Tourism’s Sarah Porter says the destination looks set to continue its popularity for the New Zealand winter with record occupancy levels being reported. Getting agents up to experience the destination first hand remains key to the NTO’s trade strategy for New Zealand. More than 100 travel professionals have experienced Niue first-hand in the past few years, says Porter—who adds that ‘both Travel Advocates and Aspire Travel Group are two groups that are certainly filled with Niue experts now’. Porter recently spent 10 days on Niue hosting three back-to-back famils, including the World Travellers annual conference, an Air New Zealand and Scenic hotels agent famil, and a four-day Aspire Travel Group famil. “I will never take Niue for granted, and I appreciate the beauty of the people, place and ocean every time I return to Niue; however, seeing Niue through the eyes of ‘first-timers’ was awesome,” says Porter, who’s known for ‘maximising’ the opportunities for visiting agents. “One broker got back in the boat after snorkelling with the dolphins with tears of joy exclaiming that it was better than the Taj Mahal.”
. . . Niue Experts
Self-famil participants who complete a survey are then listed on niueisland.com as Niue experts. “I’m here to promote and share Niue; however, it’s agents and brokers who actually sell and book Niue,” says Porter. “So, I do everything possible to drive consumers back to our website to connect with a travel professional that has ‘been there, done that’ on Niue.” Porter has also set up a hidden page for agents, with tips, tricks and resources to sell Niue successfully. For access to the page, e-mail HERE.
. . . Whales Arrive
The humpback whales must also have heard about this influx of visitors, quips Porter, and have also started to arrive early. This year’s first sighting was on 31 May, and there’s been daily regular occurrences since. Niue is one of the few places on the planet people can experience in-water interactions with these giant beauties, with strict regulations in place to protect both the whales and the travellers.
