Once our visitors arrive in New Zealand, they need to find out
what to do and where to go. They want local advice from local
people, and that's exactly what the i-SITE Visitor Information
Network provides.
Many of our visitors will wait until they arrive in New Zealand
to book parts of their holiday, including local transport,
accommodation and activities. The i-SITE Network provides a brand
that is trusted by our visitors to provide good quality, useful and
relevant information that is vital to ensuring these visitors have
a safe, stress-free and rewarding New Zealand holiday.
Established in 1990 by the New Zealand Tourist Publicity Board
(now Tourism New Zealand), there are now 530 i-SITE staff in 90
Visitor Centres around New Zealand, from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Each
year, these centres welcome around 900,000 international visitors
and assist with 9.1 million visitor enquiries.
The i-SITE brand is managed by Tourism New Zealand and
accredited members must meet standards in staff training,
professionalism and information technology.
The best place to start
Planning a holiday? Talk to someone who knows.
i-SITE staff are the only travel professionals in New Zealand
who are specialists in their local regions. A new campaign,
launched in spring 2009, is pooling the knowledge of these local
experts to raise awareness of i-SITE among domestic travellers.
The Visitor Information Network's new website - www.i-site.org.nz - is publishing information
on what's on, what's hot, the best kept secrets and best food and
wine tips for New Zealand regions, all of which are collected and
published daily by i-SITE staff from around the country.
These insider tips are the basis for a nationwide marketing
campaign called 'Start with i-SITE'.
Adding value to local economies
New Zealand's i-SITE Visitor Centres are helping to ensure
international and domestic visitors are doing and spending more
while they travel around New Zealand.
Ninety per cent of visitors who use an i-SITE Centre while on
holiday make bookings as a result, and around 60 per cent say they
would have missed a highlight of their trip if they hadn't visited
an i-SITE.
Take a look at
our 2010 i-SITE perception research
Working with your i-SITE
i-SITE Visitor Centres are an important part of the distribution
channel for tourism businesses. Make contact with your local
i-SITE centre and talk to them about displaying your brochure and
adding your details to their national booking database.
Here are a few tips on working with your local i-SITE
Centre:
- Arrange a meeting with each centre manager in your region -
find out more about what they do, introduce your product and find
out how you can work together
- Make a time to talk to i-SITE staff about your product; they'll
be better equipped to sell it if they have first-hand knowledge. If
possible, offer staff the opportunity to visit and experience your
product for themselves!
- List your product on the i-SITE National Database for free.
This will ensure i-SITE staff throughout New Zealand have access to
information about your product and can make bookings for visitors.
Contact your nearest i-SITE to talk about listing your product
- Be clear about your pricing structure and keep your i-SITE
updated if it changes. Don't forget to agree a commission rate for
any bookings i-SITE Centres make on your behalf (generally around
10 per cent). You will need to allow for this in your pricing.
- Make sure you're contactable! It seems obvious, but make sure
you have a cellphone and/or voicemail in case your i-SITE needs to
get hold of you with regard to a booking enquiry. If you are
reliable, easy to contact and willing to take customers at short
notice, you are more likely to get bookings
- Let i-SITE staff know the type of person that is best-suited to
your product so they know who it will appeal to
- Supply plenty of brochures for display on the brochure racks.
See Brochures and Collateral for
more information
- If you are an accommodation provider, keep in contact with your
local i-SITE about room availability, especially over busy months
and when there are events on in your region
- Keep your local i-SITE updated on your operating hours or if
your business is going to be closed for some reason
- Find out if there are any other advertising opportunities
available to you through your i-SITE. Your local i-SITE Centre or
Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) may have a website you can list
on for free. Find contact details for your local RTO
- Like any relationship, getting to know your local i-SITE team
takes time and effort. Make regular visits in person to drop off
brochures, update staff on your products and introduce yourself to
new staff members
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