Hosted by Tourism New Zealand, seven top Indian travel agents
from Qantas Holidays took part in a week-long self-drive famil on
the South Island in August.
The famil was designed to raise the profile of New Zealand
products, especially self-drive, and encourage the agents to
promote New Zealand as the most preferred holiday destination in
the world to their clients.
The agents who took part in this famil are all opinion leaders in
their respective organisations, making this a valuable opportunity
for New Zealand operators to really showcase their offerings.
Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager India & South East Asia
Kiran Nambiar says that following Christchurch's earthquake the
famil was a great opportunity to show the agents that Christchurch
Airport is still a key international gateway to the South
lsland.
"With Indian arrivals to New Zealand slowing since February 2011,
the visit was a timely reminder that it is business as usual in the
South Island.
"It was also fantastic to see that the entire group experienced a
Sky Dive with NZONE and that most of them willingly tried the
Shotover Canyon Swing."
The agents traversed the South Island experiencing both new and
iconic New Zealand products, including the Mao Waho Island Trip
with Eco Wanaka Adventures in Wanaka, the new West Coast Wildlife
Centre in Franz Josef Glacier and NZONE Skydive in Queenstown. The
Skydive was a great product for these agents to experience, as
India is the third largest market for NZONE Skydive.