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Up to 1.2 million Australian viewers tuned in April 3 to enjoy a Taupō breakfast as Australia’s top-rated morning show, Sunrise, put a spotlight on the Great Lake Taupō region.
Patrick Dault, general manager of Destination Great Lakes shared their strategies aimed at attracting more Australian visitors during the traditionally quieter months.
“In the short term, Destination Great Lake Taupō is working with Tourism New Zealand off-shore to support ongoing activity such as the Everyone Must Go Campaign,” he says. “Our operators provide a great volume of special offers and deals to attract shoulder visitation to Taupō as part of a New Zealand holiday.”
As part of its efforts, Taupō has joined forces with the Central North Island collective and Auckland to maximize the benefits of the regional tourism boost fund. “This allows Taupō and the collective to tap into an additional $600k of funding to attract Australian visitors this autumn and winter.” says Patrick.
Looking ahead, DGLT is focused on long-term strategies that include year-long campaigns to resonate with both domestic and Australian consumers. “A big shift in our strategy is to focus on first party data to engage directly with consumers in the domestic and Australian markets,” he says.
The live broadcast from Sunrise is anticipated to positively influence how Taupō is perceived as a tourist destination, especially after being recognized by major platforms such as CNN and Booking.com. “This is yet another way to engage our international audiences,” says Patrick. “The CNN and Booking.com piece were great for our strongest overseas markets in post-COVID, America. The Sunrise opportunity is a great way to connect with our second largest overseas market.”
He believes that showing the people behind the visitor experiences will highlight Taupō’s essential role in a New Zealand holiday. “One of the RTO’s objectives is to highlight why Taupō is a great place to live and thus, a great place to visit. Highlight the people that are passionate about our region but also why this place feels so special. Then we connect visitors to our tourism operators, who bring these special places to life.” he says.
In addition to marketing, Destination Great Lake Taupō is dedicated to sustainable tourism growth. “Aligned with our destination management plan, a big piece of work for DGLT has been to actively work with our Māori-operators to better reflect the aspirations of manga whenua in the way we promote the region.” says Patrick.
The organisation collaborates with NZ Māori Tourism, neighbouring regions, DOC, and TIA to enhance capacity in the tourism sector.
“Additionally, our partnership with the industry and the community aims to enhance regenerative tourism experiences. As such, DGLT supported Ngā Kete o Tāpoi, an initiative led by Tūwharetoa, to provide rangatira with the unique opportunity to connect with experienced mentors who currently operate successful Tūwharetoa tourism businesses.” he says.
April 8, DGLT will host “The Value of Māori Tourism for Aotearoa hui” in collaboration with NZ Māori in Tourism and BERL, where findings will highlight the economic, cultural, and social contributions of Māori tourism across Aotearoa—underscoring the unique value it brings to the future of the industry.
