Update From Tourism Tonga ^Featured

I visited 'Eua at the weekend to produce a map and guide for that island.  The imagery is eco-tourism with a push towards getting as many visitors to take a guided walk, rather than self-guiding, to create employment opportunities and to ensure visitor safety.  Adventure Magazine in New Zealand also wanted an article about hiking in 'Eua, so that has been drafted and sent to them.   We are working with Real Tonga and the 'Eua operators to create some special events to increase visitation, like a fly-in, explore, fly-out day trip.  Real Tonga has dropped their one-way ticket price to just $50 for May, so if you've always wanted to go, now is the time!  On a side note, local fishermen in 'Eua report the first whale of the season has been spotted!

The folks in Vava'u are doing a great job of organising this year's Vava'u Blue Water Festival in late September - early October, which a huge range of activities planned, to keep the yachties busy, extract a bit of money off them, and make sure they come back again in future years.  They forecast over 100 yachts will come this year.  Thanks Greg for the updates.  We also have the World Arc Rally of 12 yachts arriving in Vava'u on 26th/27th May for 7 - 10 days, and thanks to Mike for keeping us in the loop with that one.  I am going to Ha'apai next week to meet the yachts off the Pacific Circuit Rally with at least 60 yachties arriving there early in the week, weather permitting.

Owen is off to Vava'u next Friday to meet the operators and prepare for the next cruise ship visit.

Some good news (and bad) from Air New Zealand.  In our most recent campaign (23 – 31 March), Tonga bookings were up 13% compared to the same period LY (where we were also in campaign).  Previous campaigns saw 6% growth in sales.  However they have now excluded us from their current promotion as they have such low numbers of seats left to sell, helped of course by the Coronation events.   They are considering adding 4 more A320 planes (seating 170 each) to their current schedule for Coronation week, which they anticipate they will sell.

Seini and Mana have been busy trying to get all the information about the Coronation and Heilala week onto our website, and there is significant interest from overseas media in reporting on the positive effects on tourism.  There is an impressive programme of events, and many of them are open to everyone, so check out our website for the details under EVENTS.

If any operator wants a link to our television commercial to view it or add to their own website, find it by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJZp7sctYQ.  The ad is playing on TVNZ next week including spots in the top news, entertainment and drama shows.  Then we have a week off television, and then the last week of this campaign, also supported by Video On Demand activity on all the big New Zealand channels.

Mana is also working on the next run of brochures for the Visitor Information Centre and is in touch with many of you to arrange the content.  This is obviously a massive job for us, and it's key that you get us the very best photographs and description of your business, so we can show you off at your best and get you more bookings.  There are still a few opportunities for these free brochures if there are any tourist businesses that we haven't been in touch with.

Plans for SPTE (South Pacific Tourism Exchange) in Melbourne in June are going well with ten local operators going, representing all the island groups.  The idea is to link operators with wholesalers and agents to ultimately gain sales.  I have 33 appointments so far and I know the other Tongan operators have been busy scheduling meetings too.

The House of Travel deals are selling well due to some great deals put together by them.  Check them out here.  
 http://www.houseoftravel.co.nz/hot-deals?destination=pacific-islands

We have just started selling tickets for Hamlet performed by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre at the Amphitheatre at the Tonga National Cultural Centre in Nuku’alofa on Tuesday 23rd June at 2pm.  The London-based company are planning to travel to all 205 nations in the world to stage the play in a huge range of unique and atmospheric venues, and to date they have performed in 96 countries. This is Tonga’s turn and is a once-only show. Tickets can be purchased for $20 TOP at the Visitor Information Centre on Vuna Road.
Hopefully you have the Tonga Tourism Industry Day in your diary already, and here is the link to the invitation.  It would be good to see as many of you there as possible, so we can work together to drive Tonga's tourism industry into even greater success.

http://www.tongaholiday.com/featured/tourism-industry-day/

Fay Moorfield | Marketing Manager | Tourism Tonga (Tonga Tourism Authority)
PO Box 37, Nuku’alofa, Tonga | Located at Vuna Rd Visitor Information Centre
Mobile: +676 781 9831 | Office: +676 21 332
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.tongaholiday.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tonga