Te Puia turns up the heat for Australian journalists
Leading cultural tourism attraction, Te Puia turned up the heat with an extravaganza of entertainment, culture and cuisine for a group of visiting Australian travel writers.
Photo: Craig Robertson
Back Row L-R: Patrick Tamati, Te Taru White (Te Puia)
Middle Row L-R: Louise Sneddon (4pr), Anne Rickard (Sunshine Coast Daily News), Jill Varley (Main Event Magazine), Lyn Tan (Fairfax Publications), Basil Hegazi (The Age and Sydney Morning Herald online)
Front Row L-R: Mal Chenu (Sun Herald), Kelly Stewart, Mere Ngatai (Te Puia)
With an anticipated global downturn in tourism Te Puia is capitalising on the groundwork already laid over the past years in the Australian market. Sales and Marketing Manager Kelly Stewart says “the Australian market is an integral component of the Te Puia marketing strategy” and adds that the media initiative, which is the first of its kind for Te Puia is key to sharing the message about the unique tourism experience offered by Te Puia.
Commenting on the recent high season visitor numbers to Te Puia, Kelly said that Te Puia had enjoyed an excellent season that was significantly above national visitor averages but would not get complacent about the year ahead. “With many key longhaul markets expected to dip with the deepening global situation, we are looking a lot closer to home for our visitor numbers and hope that our marketing programme which includes a strong sales presence in Australia coupled with a PR campaign will place Te Puia and the Rotorua region as front of mind for independent and conferencing visitors from Australia.”
The visiting media who will write for some of Australia’s leading print and online publications such as Sydney’s Sun Herald, Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne’s ‘The Age’ are in New Zealand for three days, all of which will be spent experiencing the very best of the region with the support of Te Puia partner operators that include; Clearwater Cruises, Helipro, Skyline Skyrides, Off Road New Zealand, The Heritage Hotel Rotorua, and Air New Zealand Australia region.
The welcome evening hosted by Te Puia and officiated by Te Puia chief executive officer, Te Taru White was hailed a “standout event” according to award winning journalist, Australian travel writer of the year, author and columnist Anne Rickard. Conference and Incentive specialist writer Jill Varley agreed with Te Taru’s statement that the Te Puia evening experience which included an exclusive geyser side dinner at Pohutu was “unrivalled anywhere else in the world and presented a unique opportunity for individual and group visitors to engage in an authentic cultural experience.” Mal Chenu who is writing for Sydney’s Sun Herald newspaper represented the group at the welcome and spoke of the admiration he felt for Māori who treasured their heritage and were prepared to share that treasure. Mal said that the group was “humbled by the level of hospitality and kinship” extended to them by Te Puia and partners.
January 2009
