The Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) and The Icehouse are excited to be working together towards a shared goal of developing the leadership skills, capability and confidence of young people within the tourism industry.

This collaboration will see YoungTEC members offered the opportunity to participate in an intensive full day Leadership course in Auckland this December. The practical course offers future tourism leaders the chance to develop their personal effectiveness and ensure they lead for high performance.

Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) Chief Executive Judy Chen says, “The tourism industry offers incredibly rewarding career opportunities and one of YoungTEC’s key role is to help further develop the young talent we have in this sector”.

“We are thrilled to work with The Icehouse to deliver this programme especially with their proven reputation for developing successful businesses and an excellent understanding of our industry, having partnered with many of our TECNZ members”.

The Icehouse CEO Andy Hamilton says “The tourism sector is doing great things for New Zealand. The growth we are experiencing now is because of the hard work in the past. We also need to reinvest in the capability of our people to keep growing and advancing. That is why we are excited to partner with the Tourism Export Council to help building capability and aspiration in the future leaders in our tourism sector”.

“For the past five years YoungTEC have been delivering the award winning Professional Development Programme, a tourism 101 for those new to the industry, and are excited to now be able to offer our members a step above” says YoungTEC’s Chair, Nicole Botting.

“The creation of the Leadership Day has been a year in the making for our Executive. Thanks to the funding the Hospitality Training Trust awarded YoungTEC earlier this year, we have been able to partner with an incredibly successful company and offer our members a high calibre Leadership Day”.

The Leadership Day will be held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, on Monday 3 December 2018.

ENDS.

 About YoungTEC

YoungTEC is an organisation of young tourism professionals under the age of 36 years who are members of Tourism Export Council companies. A YoungTEC membership offers regular networking events with other young professionals in the tourism industry, educational workshops and a professional development programme complete with a mentor which gives you the most up-to-date tourism information and tips to take into your own workplace.

For more information on YoungTEC and to find out how to become a member visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec or go to their Facebook page www.facebook.com/youngtourismexportcouncil.

About The Icehouse

Founded in 2001, The Icehouse is committed to creating a high performing New Zealand economy where ideas and businesses thrive.  We believe in the extraordinary potential of New Zealand business owners and entrepreneurs. We enable their success through knowledge, connection and investment.

The Icehouse has worked with over 5,000 owner-managers and entrepreneurs. On average our established businesses grow revenue by 12% every year, meaning they grow 2.5x faster than the average NZ business. Our start-ups have collectively created over 900 jobs, raised more than $117m in funding and have generated over $325m in revenue.

www.theicehouse.co.nz

For more information please contact:

Nicole Botting – YoungTEC Chair

027 418 8943

nicole.botting@christchurchnz.com

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) has welcomed the government’s announcement of the R&D Tax Incentive for businesses, saying it opens doors for more innovation in the tourism sector.

Judy Chen, Chief Executive for TECNZ said, “Just like any industry, tourism is constantly having to adapt to change and often it is technological advances that require investment in research and development which has been unattainable to many in our industry.”

“The new tax incentive will give tourism businesses more confidence to take the plunge and commit to R&D. Previous funding application processes and criteria were not a natural fit for these sorts of businesses and, as a result, tourism often missed out on these funding opportunities.”

The key features of the R&D Tax Incentive include a credit rate of 15%, a $120 million cap on eligible expenditure and a minimum R&D expenditure threshold of $50,000 per year.  The definition of R&D also ensures the credit can be accessed more easily across all sectors.

“TECNZ has been focusing on the importance of future proofing our industry through the use of new technology.   At the TECNZ tourism conference in August we discussed how valuable artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are to our industry.

Investing in better data capture, analytics, and modeling tools are another example of how the industry can better understand visitor behaviour and therefore plan for future trends.   These sorts of technologies all take money to research and develop properly and the new tax incentive may now make that sort of investment viable.”

“Innovation is already alive and well in the sector when you consider some of the iconic kiwi inventions that have put New Zealand tourism on the map like, the Hamilton Jet, bungy, and zorb.  With these new tax incentives in place hopefully we will see more of this home-grown ingenuity in the future.”

“TECNZ is already engaging with Callaghan Innovation and MBIE Science and Innovation to highlight and communicate these opportunities and we invite other research institutes to look at tourism as a sector for new R&D funding opportunities.”

ENDS

 About the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is a trade association that represents the interests of the inbound tourism industry. Its membership includes inbound tour operators (Inbound Members) and attraction, activity, accommodation, transport suppliers, regional tourism organisations and tourism services providers (Allied Members). TECNZ members collectively handle most of New Zealand’s international visitor arrivals. www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz.

For more information please contact:

Auckland’s newest waterfront neighbourhood, Wynyard Quarter, will soon be home to a new Travelodge Hotel, managed by TFE Hotels, on the corner of Pakenham Street West and Halsey Street in mid-2020.

The hotel will add a much-needed mid-tier accommodation offering to the precinct, which attracts thousands of workers and visitors each week. A number of multi-national companies have head offices there including Air New Zealand, Microsoft, Datacom, IBM and Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest company.

Wynyard Quarter was first redeveloped seven years ago and has a host of new upmarket retail, residential and commercial developments in its pipeline, ahead of the America’s Cup in 2021. It is home to the chic bars and restaurants of North Wharf, as well as Silo Park, ANZ Viaduct Events Centre and the Auckland Theatre Company.  It is estimated that up to 5000 residents and 25,000 workers will be based there in the next decade.

TFE Hotels has partnered with energy, transport and infrastructure investor Infratil, who will develop the striking new Travelodge Hotel as part of a development of six new buildings. Construction is about to begin on the 6 storey L-shaped hotel, which will have 154 guest rooms and a ground floor restaurant. The design by Peddle Thorp Aitken architects includes 1800 square metre ground floor retail area and an adjoining multi-level car park.

This will be the nineteenth Travelodge Hotel in Australia and New Zealand and will expand on the brand’s Refreshingly Simple promise. It will align with the brand promise to deliver “more of what you want and less of what you don’t”. It will be TFE Hotels’ second Travelodge Hotel in New Zealand, in addition to Wellington. TFE Hotels has 72 hotels in its portfolio worldwide.

The new International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy provides much needed additional tourism funding but it must not be a replacement for funding that is already available to the sector, says the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ).

Judy Chen, Executive Officer for TECNZ says, “This new levy needs to be additional to the funding that already exists through initiatives like the Tourism Infrastructure Fund and the Provincial Growth Fund.  All serve a slightly different purpose and are helping to deal with the cost pressures associated with tourism growth. Nor should the money raised from the levy go towards business as usual activities, instead it should be used for new tourism and conservation projects and initiatives.”

The new levy will be set at $35 per visitor and will be in place ahead of the 2019/20 peak tourist season.   It will raise an estimated $80 million in 2020, to be split between tourism infrastructure and conservation work.

Ms Chen has been invited to take part in a stakeholder session organised by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Department of Conservation to look at how the money collected from the levy will be spent and how it will be governed.

“What’s important is that we take a cautious approach to where the money goes.  $80 million seems like a large sum of money but split across tourism and conservation needs it is unlikely to go far if it’s not managed and allocated carefully.  The introduction of this levy is an opportunity to create an enduring fund, that is big enough to be useful and able to fund the needs of tourism well into the future.”

Ends

About the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand:

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is a trade association that represents the interests of the inbound tourism industry. Its membership includes inbound tour operators (Inbound Members) and attraction, activity, accommodation, transport suppliers, regional tourism organisations and tourism services providers (Allied Members). TECNZ members collectively handle most of New Zealand’s international visitor arrivals. www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz.

For more information please contact:

Tourism Export Council Xmas Symposium and YoungTEC Summit Open for Registrations

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is delighted to announce that this year the renowned Xmas Symposium and YoungTEC Summit will take place at the Pullman Auckland Hotel. The YoungTEC event is on Tuesday 4 December starting at 1pm and the TECNZ Symposium follows the next afternoon, Wednesday 5 December from 2pm.

TECNZ CEO Judy Chen says these two events are offered to TECNZ and YoungTEC members annually to provide an enlightening programme with speakers from both within and outside the industry and the final opportunity to come together for networking before end of the year.

The 2018 Xmas Symposium event will focus on the core theme of contributing toward a better world; inspiring the industry to make positive changes that will contribute to improved social wellbeing, workforce equality and empowerment, and environmental sustainability all whilst increasing economic performance.

The YoungTEC Summit, the organisation’s main networking event of the year, will be delving into ‘controversial disruptors’ and how they impact a business both positively and negatively. The combination of both guest speakers and a panel session makes this event one not to be missed.

Registrations for both events close at 5pm on Friday 23 November.  For more information please visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz.

ENDS

About the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand

The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is a trade association that represents the interests of the inbound tourism industry. Its membership includes inbound tour operators (Inbound Members) and attraction, activity, accommodation, transport suppliers, regional tourism organisations and tourism services providers (Allied Members). TECNZ members collectively handle most of New Zealand’s international visitor arrivals. www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz.

For more information please contact:

Whale Watch Kaikōura Wows at NZ Tourism Awards 2018 Ceremony

Whale Watch Kaikōura has picked up one of NZ’s most prestigious tourism awards being selected as best NZ Maori Tourism business 2018.

General Manager Whale Watch Kaikōura, Kauahi Ngapora said, “The team is thrilled to receive this award after an extraordinary twenty-two months following a significant event that forced us to immediately review and change the way we operated the business. We had no choice but to evolve and adapt to a new normal that included looking at every aspect of our business when faced with over seventy percent loss of customers not being able to travel to Kaikōura by road. It was a very insightful experience. Despite the challenging period we are now emerging with growth in visitor numbers driven by the team’s committed focus on providing a quality visitor experience and valuing every single customer that has visited Kaikoura. Receiving the award on the team’s behalf was Teri Sonal, a founding and current Trustee and major shareholder of Whale Watch Kaikōura. This award means a lot to us and we’re proud to represent Kaikōura on the New Zealand and international stage. We’re rapt!”

Julie Howden, Acting Mayor Kaikōura District Council said, “What worthy recipients. We’re proud of Whale Watch Kaikōura’s achievement. The leadership, commitment and resilience of the team’s effort to help support the tourism industry (and community) prior to the November 2016 earthquake, during the response, and recovery phase post-earthquake, cannot be undervalued. We’re delighted their contribution to the local economy and wider community has been recognised at the highest level.”

General Manager Destination Kaikōura, Glenn Ormsby said, “What great news to share with the industry here in New Zealand and with our offshore partners and agents. Over the years Whale Watch Kaikōura has been an integral leader in helping establish Kaikōura as a must visit tourism destination. Being recognised by key industry leaders through a rigorous judging process highlights the outstanding operation that Whale Watch Kaikōura is and we’re absolutely delighted for the Board and team.”

 

For more information contact:

Glenn Ormsby, General Manager Destination Kaikōura         Glenn@kaikoura.co.nz 027 547 9036

Kauahi Ngapora, General Manager Whale Watch Kaikōura   Kauahi@whalewatch.co.nz 021 277 8259

 

About Whale Watch® the Company
Whale Watch is a multiple national and international award-winning nature-based tourism company owned and operated by the indigenous Ngāti Kuri people of Kaikōura, a Maori sub-tribe of the South Island’s larger Ngāi Tahu Tribe.

Whale Watch was formed in 1987 at a time when Māori were casualties of Kaikōura’s declining economy. At this time of difficulty, Ngāti Kuri leaders like Bill Solomon believed the local Giant Sperm Whales held the answer to the unemployment problems of the Māori community. They knew their ancestor Paikea had journeyed to a new life in New Zealand on the back of the whale Tohorā. It seemed appropriate for Paikea’s descendants to again ride on the back of the whale to a new life.
And so it proved to be.

The Ngāti Kuri founders of Whale Watch mortgaged their houses to secure a loan to start the business. In the early days passengers travelled aboard a small 6.7m inflatable vessel that carried 8 passengers at a time. In time, the inflatable was replaced by a larger boat with an upper viewing deck until today the Whale Watch fleet numbers four modern catamarans each specifically designed for whale watching. The expansion of the Whale Watch fleet required the building of an entire marina in South Bay. It is from here that all whale watching tours now depart.

Due to the phenomenal success of Whale Watch, Kaikōura is now one of New Zealand’s leading eco-tourism destinations offering a diverse range of exciting marine wildlife encounters. The company has stimulated investment in new accommodation, restaurants and an impressive array of cafes and galleries filled with the work of local artists.

Paikea and Tohorā still form the symbolic centre of Whale Watch. They represent the spiritual bond between the human world and the natural world and speak of the possibilities that reveal themselves when the world of nature is revered rather than exploited.

The Whale Watch® Philosophy
Whale Watch is committed to providing a quality whale watching experience while carefully managing the use of a rare natural resource. We are visitors to the world of the whales and respect it as such at all times. As a Māori-owned company, Whale Watch cherishes the twin values of hospitality to visitors and reverence for the natural world. It is a philosophy that embraces people, the land, the sea and all living things as one.

www.whalewatch.co.nz

 

YoungTEC awarded two Hospitality Training Trust grants

The Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) is excited to announce their success in the 2018 Hospitality Training Trust funding round.

YoungTEC are the successful recipients of two grants: $5,000 support towards the ongoing implementation of their award winning Professional Development Programme and $5,000 towards a second-tier training course for future tourism leaders.

Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Judy Chen says this gives the Professional Development Programme an opportunity to evolve to the next level.

“Receiving this grant is a real show of faith in the work that YoungTEC does. It shows how much progress it has made in just a few short years. It’s looking at opportunities beyond what it originally set out to do which is raising the profile of the organisation”.

YoungTEC’s Chair Nicole Botting says it’s an honour to receive the grant.

“We want to thank the Hospitality Training Trust for the opportunity to develop a second-tier leadership training course. This level of training has always been an aspiration for YoungTEC and the continued development of young people within our industry will have wider benefits for all”.

YoungTEC is set to consult members on the development of the new leadership training course and encourage all members to have their say on the topics and speakers considered.

The Hospitality Training Trust was set up to encourage and support training in the sector. Previous grants include masterclasses for secondary school hospitality teachers and a workshop about taking the leap from school to a career in hospitality.

ENDS.

For more information please contact Kim Cormack on 021 684 816 or kim.cormack@tnz.govt.nz.

YoungTEC is an organisation of young tourism professionals under the age of 36 years who are members of Tourism Export Council companies. A YoungTEC membership offers regular networking events with other young professionals in the tourism industry, educational workshops and a professional development programme complete with a mentor which gives you the most up-to-date tourism information and tips to take into your own workplace.

For more information on YoungTEC and to find out how to become a member visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec or go to their Facebook page www.facebook.com/youngtourismexportcouncil.

The Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) and New Zealand School of Tourism are excited to announce the formalisation of their partnership, working together towards a shared goal of inspiring, guiding and mentoring young people that have decided to pursue a career in tourism.

 This partnership will see YoungTEC members and New Zealand School of Tourism students come together to share their first-hand experience working within the tourism industry, highlighting the various career opportunities available to students as they join the work force.

Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Chief Executive Judy Chen says

“The formalisation of this partnership shows the value that both YoungTEC and the NZ School of Tourism place on this relationship. By working together, we hope to support and upskill more young people in tourism.”

The New Zealand School of Tourism continue to show their support by becoming YoungTEC’s 2018/19 Regional Event Partner.

New Zealand School of Tourism Stakeholder Development Manager Bronwen Wilkinson says

“We see our partnership with YoungTEC based on professional respect, mutual alignments and common goals.  Our students have much to gain from the guiding and mentoring YoungTEC members will provide.  Our reason for being is our students and we value the fact the YoungTEC members want to be part of their journey to pursuing careers in the Tourism Industry.”

Regional speed dating events between YoungTEC members and students will be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, supported by the creation of a mentorship programme providing one-on-one insight and advice.

 YoungTEC’s Chair Nicole Botting says this partnership is highly valued by its members.

“Our members have always enjoyed the opportunity to meet with New Zealand School of Tourism students, sharing their experience and providing real examples of the vastly different career paths we have all taken”.

The speed dating events will kick off in September closely followed by the implementation of the mentorship programme.

ENDS.

For more information please contact Nicole Botting on 027 418 8943 or nicole.botting@christchurchnz.com.

YoungTEC is an organisation of young tourism professionals under the age of 36 years who are members of Tourism Export Council companies. A YoungTEC membership offers regular networking events with other young professionals in the tourism industry, educational workshops and a professional development programme complete with a mentor which gives you the most up-to-date tourism information and tips to take into your own workplace.

For more information on YoungTEC and to find out how to become a member visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec or go to their Facebook page www.facebook.com/youngtourismexportcouncil.

 New Zealand School of Tourism is part of the Academic Colleges Group, New Zealand’s leading independent provider of education.

New Zealand School of Tourism began in 1985 and is New Zealand’s largest private tertiary establishment specialising in training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries, training over 1000 students per year.  New Zealand School of Tourism has seven campuses nationwide.

The company has always held the highest rating from NZQA which is a Category 1 status, having gained a Highly Confident rating in both Educational Performance and Ability to Self Assess, most recently in 2017. The company has a strong nationwide presence in secondary schools promoting travel and tourism careers as an option for students and providing tourism resources to schools who are teaching tourism.

Our mission for the past 33 years has been to provide employers with “work ready, world ready” graduates, who have the skills and qualifications to make a positive contribution to industry related businesses in New Zealand.

For more information on New Zealand School of Tourism visit www.nzschooloftourism.co.nz

Premium Queenstown and Milford Sound tourism operator Southern Discoveries has appointed industry leader Kerry Myers as General Manager – Sales and Marketing, as the company looks to further expand and optimise current operations.

With nearly 20 years of experience at leading travel and tourism operators both in New Zealand and abroad, Ms Myers will head up the sales and marketing functions of Southern Discoveries from the company’s Queenstown base.

Southern Discoveries CEO Tim Hunter says he’s delighted to welcome Ms Myers to the team.

“Kerry brings a wealth of industry knowledge, familiarity with the Southern Lakes tourism environment and current marketing experience relevant to our sector,” he says.

“Over the past 15 years, she’s worked in a range of senior sales and marketing roles for Ngai Tahu Tourism and most recently held the position of Marketing Manager for Shotover Jet, Dart River Adventures and Dart Stables.”

Mr Hunter says Ms Myers’ digital and physical marketing experience will prove vital as Southern Discoveries looks to grow its range of cruise, farm tour, cycle tour and day trip products in the Southern Lakes region.

“With strong analysis skills and extensive experience in sales management, Kerry is also very passionate about tourism in the area, and the strong network of industry relationships she’s developed will be highly valued within the company.”

Ms Myers says she’s excited about being part of the Southern Discoveries team.

“I’ve long considered Southern Discoveries to be an industry leader, delivering exceptional nature experiences in this unique part of New Zealand,” she says.

“Throughout my career I’ve always chosen to work with businesses that not only show off the very best of New Zealand’s scenery, adventure and hospitality, but also align with my values of preservation and social sustainability.

“Southern Discoveries fits that bill perfectly, so I’m very excited to be joining their proud and passionate team.”

ENDS

Wellington’s iconic James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor has confirmed a $10 million plus refurbishment of the hotel’s Lambton Wing, inclusive of 200 rooms and suites, plus the Executive Club Lounge. Renovations will commence this month and are expected to run into 2019, with the Greenstone Group appointed as the Project Manager and Naylor Love as the main contractor.

General Manager, Steve Martin recognises Wellington and New Zealand’s current tight supply of accommodation rooms and therefore emphasis has been placed on minimising disruption to operations and completing the project promptly. The refurbishment will be managed in stages, starting from the top floors of the hotel, and will include a complete re-fit of the bathrooms, bedrooms and furnishings. Impact on the busy restaurant and conference facilities on level 16 & 17 is expected to be minimal.

The modernisation aligns with the commitment to ensure the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor continuously exceeds the expectations of todays business, leisure and conference traveller. Extensive seismic strengthening work was completed in 2016 to achieve a 100% NBS (National Building Standard) rating. Replacement work of all seven hotel lifts commenced in 2017 and the lift upgrade to Lambton Quay and the Lambton Wing is now completed.

The James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor is located in the heart of Wellington City, conveniently situated between the leading retail district of Lambton Quay and the business hub of The Terrace. The 4 ½ star hotel features 268 accommodation rooms, valet parking, two restaurants and bars, a day spa, complimentary Wi-Fi and fitness facilities, with in-house guest yoga offered on a regular basis.

Grand Chancellor Hotels are located throughout Australia and New Zealand in key destinations. The ten 4 – 4½ star properties feature well-appointed guest rooms, with five hotels providing event venues which cater to over 400 people. For more information please visit grandchancellorhotels.com

Media Contact details:

Sarah Croskery – Director of Sales & Marketing

James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor
147 The Terrace Wellington 6011 – New Zealand

021 460 440

E: dos@jamescookhotel.co.nz

www.grandchancellorhotels.com