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22 June, 2009
A Million Aussies Can’t Be Wrong By John Stokes
Who says there’s a recession on?
Today Tourism New Zealand revealed that, for the first time ever, as at the end of May New Zealand has hosted more than a million visitors from Australia in one year. The recent injection of government funds into the Australian market has proven a worthwhile investment (visitor arrivals from Australia in May alone was up by 20 percent!) and the intention by the Government is to continue promoting to Australia during these tough times.
It’s a strategy that makes sense. Australia – in spite of what we may have been told – is in a recession too, so it is less likely the Aussies will want to spend money on travel to long haul destinations. The Pacific area will benefit from that but there are parts of the Pacific that may be seen as risky, including Fiji. The exchange rate is also working in our favour. Swine flu may impact, although that may simply become just another reason not to travel to some of the less-developed countries.
No matter how we look at it, New Zealand remains a relatively safe bet to travel to. It my guess that we can expect those Aussies who are going to travel overseas to have us high on their shopping list. This is why all of us in the tourism business must do our bit by keeping our promotional and marketing presence in the face of those tourists who are out there. You don’t need to spend a fortune doing it, and the more discerning operators will choose what they do, and where, carefully.
The more discerning operators also understand that it is in the tougher times that advertising and promotion becomes not just necessary, but vital.
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