Kiwi travel to Australia, remains strong, and the destination is said to be benefitting from some changing market dynamics—however the biggest challenge, says Tourism Australia, is making New Zealanders aware of the vast range of tourism product on offer across the continent.
“Ultimately our customer challenge in New Zealand is how do we get them to think about Australia in a different way,” Tourism Australia regional general manager Chris Allison said at ATE in Brisbane earlier this week.
. . . Trade Key
Around a third of Kiwi travellers still book their Aussie holiday via an agent, and Allison says those clients ‘want more of a custom itinerary or want something deeper or broader than they can maybe buy on-line or put together themselves’. The TA executive says Kiwi agents do a good job—but he adds that NTO is focused on providing agents with ‘the reasons why they should think differently about Australia, what’s the opportunity for their clients, and why they should think about selling different parts of Australia they haven’t sold before’. “And that’s a big part of the reason why we invest a lot behind our Aussie Specialist programme. That’s a really good foundational level for how agents can access Australia, but also start to discover some of the things that they might not be so familiar with.”
. . . New Famil
The NTO has a dedicated agent resource in New Zealand to assist agents—and this year it is adding a new event to its agent calendar, a Signature Experiences famil. Following a successful roadshow in New Zealand last year Allison says TA is really leaning into its Signature Experiences program. This year it’s inviting some Kiwi consultants across to Australia to experience some of those Signature Experiences first-hand before a showcase in Adelaide. The Jun event is designed to showcase the breadth of tourism product on offer.
. . . Not All Luxe
While a lot of the Signature Experiences are high yielding for agents, it’s not all luxury product, says Allison. There’s seven different collectives within the platform, ranging from indigenous to golf, ‘so there really is something for everyone’, he adds. See more on Signature Experiences HERE. Allison says sports and events continue to be a drawcard for Kiwi travellers, while the NTO continues to look at ways to promote Australia beyond the gateways to encourage regional dispersal.
