i-SITE New Zealand is our official Visitor Information Network.
There are over 80 i-SITE Visitor Centres around New Zealand, which
provide international visitors, domestic travellers and locals with
comprehensive, up-to-date information and a New Zealand-wide
booking service for activities, attractions, accommodation and
transport.
The i-SITE New Zealand brand is owned and managed by Tourism New
Zealand.
About the i-SITE Network
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 over
80 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.
i-SITE staff are the only travel professionals in New Zealand
who are specialists in their local regions.
The i-SITE brand is managed by Tourism New Zealand and
accredited members must meet standards in staff training,
professionalism and information technology.
You can find out more about the individual i-SITEs and how to
contact them on their home page at newzealand.com
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:
- Get to know your local i-SITE team. Arrange a meeting with each
centre manager in your region - introduce your product and
find out how you can work together.
- If possible, offer staff the opportunity to visit and
experience your product for themselves!
- Make regular visits in person to drop off brochures, update
staff on your products and introduce yourself to new staff
members
- 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
- 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
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