Q&A With Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler
Posted by Ruth Atherley on May 24, 2010 at 7:26 am
I had the chance to connect via email with Tourism New Zealand’s Kevin Bowler just prior to TRENZ to ask the newly appointed Chief Executive a few questions. I haven’t had a chance yet to meet Mr. Bowler and – after reading his thoughtful and thought provoking answers to my questions – I am really looking forward to it.
I realize that this blog post is a little longer than usual, but rather than pull quotes and clips from Mr. Bowler’s responses, I thought I would share his answers in full and use a Q&A format. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!
RA: In many of the announcements of your appointment as Chief Executive last fall, there was a focus on your expertise and experience in the digital/online arena. How has marketing a tourism destination been impacted by technology?
KB: Even a few years ago, marketing was heavily reliant on more traditional mass media marketing tools like television and print advertising to get the message across to consumers. Today, technology is letting marketers go much more directly to consumers. For a niche destination like New Zealand, developments in things like search engine optimization and electronic customer relationship management let us target niche audiences and find those already researching and interested in a trip to New Zealand.
RA: How much of a role will digital (online/social networking, etc.) play in the future of the work being done by Tourism New Zealand?
KB: Using digital marketing and online networking is a central plank of our future marketing strategy and we’ll be doing a lot more work in that space in the coming year. That said, there will still be a place for more traditional marketing in some markets, so you can expect to see Tourism New Zealand taking a portfolio approach to marketing across different countries.
RA: The new digital consumer/traveller is more interactive. What are the opportunities and challenges of connecting with this new breed of traveller?
KB: The opportunities are huge. These travellers are savvy, they can choose from hundreds of destinations and the competition out there to get their interest is intense. To cut through and to make it onto travellers’ “choice” lists for a holiday is as hard as it ever was for a small player like New Zealand. However, the flip side is that technology means we can move a step closer to those who are already interested in coming. More targeted marketing means we can lose some of the wastage trying to talk to those who were never really interested in coming to New Zealand in the first place.
RA: What are your plans for Tourism New Zealand on a global level? What will the next 12 months bring? Where does North America fit into the plans?
KB: As I’ve already mentioned, Tourism New Zealand will be using a lot more digital marketing in its overall strategy worldwide. In terms of market selection, we feel the greatest opportunity for growth will come from markets like China, the U.S. and Germanic Europe because of their economic resilience compared to the UK.
Of course, Australia will continue to be an extremely important market for New Zealand and it’s one where increased joint-venture work with New Zealand regions and private partners is already paying off.
Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand are already committed to increased investment in the U.S. where both organisations feel they can make the biggest inroads to visitor numbers over the next three years.
RA: We are just starting to see signs that the world is coming out of the global recession. How do you think this will impact the travel industry in general and New Zealand as a destination?
KB: Last year was certainly a difficult year for tourism worldwide and for New Zealand. New Zealand came out of 2009 with flat arrivals growth compared to the year before, which I count as a win given the recession and the effect of H1N1 later in the year. We’ve certainly started to see a pick up in numbers from many markets this year and our job is to make sure that continues.
RA: What will the Rugby World Cup in 2011 mean for New Zealand tourism?
KB: Rugby World Cup 2011 is a huge opportunity for New Zealand to be seen on a world stage. There will be thousands of visitors and media from all over the globe in New Zealand, something that will probably not happen again for many years.
With other Government agencies, Tourism New Zealand’s been planning for this event for years and it’s going to be a great time to be in New Zealand, whether you’re a rugby fan or not.
The tourism industry and the regions of New Zealand are working to put on special events to take part in, and benefit from, this one-off opportunity.
RA: TRENZ is an important event in marketing and promoting tourism in New Zealand. What do you see as the key elements that TRENZ provides to both the travel trade and travel media?
KB: TRENZ provides a unique opportunity for travel sellers to meet with operators and tourism organizations from across the industry. It is about doing business, but it is also a chance for travel sellers to get a taste of New Zealand for themselves, and improve their understanding of the vast range of products and experiences that New Zealand has to offer their clients. For established New Zealand sellers, it’s an opportunity to provide feedback and work with operators to ensure the needs of their clients are being met.
For media, the tailored TRENZ media program gives a good overview of New Zealand tourism. It is a chance to meet with a broad range of tourism businesses, to talk to the decision makers, and to hear about developments in the industry and future plans. The media program also includes a chance to get out and experience some world-class New Zealand tourism experiences.
RA: What do you see as Tourism New Zealand’s biggest asset in engaging travellers?
KB: What makes New Zealand special as a destination is the unique blend of our landscapes, our people and our stories. The “100% Pure New Zealand” campaign was created to encapsulate that, and to tell that story to the world.
However, one of our most powerful assets as a marketing organization is word of mouth. We know that almost all (97%) of our visitors are likely to recommend New Zealand as a holiday destination after their trip. We also know that potential visitors are more likely to listen to the recommendations of others than they are to paid advertising.
Our challenge as an organization is to encourage past visitors to share their stories with our target market and capture the value of that word of mouth. Fortunately, social media is a very powerful tool that can be used to ensure the recommendations of past travellers reach those who are thinking about coming here.
RA: What three things do you wish everyone knew about New Zealand?
KB: It’s closer to home than you think. Because of different time zones, many Americans think it takes three days to travel to New Zealand, but in fact it’s only a 12-hour flight away.
New Zealand is an amazing holiday destination no matter how much time you have. You don’t have to save up all of your holidays to come out here – because of the size of New Zealand and the proximity of many of our key attractions, you can see a great deal of our highlights in a 10-day trip.
There are a huge variety of experiences on offer in New Zealand. From luxury travel, to backpacking, cultural experiences to hiking, wildlife watching, high-adrenalin, and food and wine.
RA: What do you think people are most surprised about when they visit New Zealand?
KB: The people. I think most people come to New Zealand expecting it to be beautiful, though a lot of them are still surprised at just how varied the landscape can be; from the semi-tropical north with its pristine coastlines and towering kauri forests, to the wild and beautiful West Coast, the volcanic Central North Island, the mountains down south and the rolling hills of the agricultural and wine regions.
But I really think that it’s the warmth, kindness and friendliness of the people that surprises visitors. We certainly pick that up in our research and you only have to go out and about to find out for yourself that Kiwis really are a friendly bunch.
