The Tourism Chat Show

In this episode, we welcome James Donald, co-founder of Yonder and Head of Development to the show. We explore the fascinating world of ChatGPT, a cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAI. Based on the GPT-3.5 architecture, ChatGPT is capable of understanding and generating human-like language, making it a valuable tool for a variety of applications, including tourism. We delve into how Cha...

This week we head to Ōtautahi Christchurch to have a chat with Christchurch NZ's Head of Tourism, Kath Low.  In May, TRENZ returns to Christchurch for the first time since 2006! (who was there?) A lot has happened since then so we cover off what's new and exciting, some of the things we can expect (but not ALL the secrets) and Kath very generously shares some local insider tips on what to do over...

It was a month ago that Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through parts of the North Island so today we head to Hawke's Bay for an update on how the visitor sector is faring with Hawke's Bay Tourism Trade Marketing & Sales Manager, Heather Matthews.  We have an in-depth discussion about the state of tourism in Hawke's Bay covering off access in and out, what's open, how the locals feel about welcoming back...

It has been two long years since we did a cruise update on the show so today we're delighted to welcome Ro du Plessis-Wentzel from ID Tours to discuss how the restart has gone, the incredibly challenging summer we've had, plus what they look for when building shore excursion programmes for their cruise line customers.  It's a very informative episode for anyone who works in the cruise industry, or...

If you're attending TRENZ this year, this is an episode designed to help you make the most out of your appointment schedule.  I'll cover off my tips for building your comprehensive trade page on TRENZ Connect as well as the homework you should start doing NOW to be prepared for the appointment schedule opening on 6th March.  Tune in, take notes and get cracking on organising yourself for the bigge...

Thanks for tuning in to our first episode of 2023.  What a start to the year it has been.  Today is a short episode welcoming in the New Year (we're starting it late) and I also share some tips for communicating through a crisis.  If you're an operator struggling in one of the weather affected regions and need some help, please don't hesitate to contact me to see how I may be able to assist.    Ha...

Chamber is back for the last episode of 2022 and boy is this a fun episode!   Here's a list of all the topics we cover in this action packed show.  2.31 - Differences between working in Australia and New Zealand 4.28 - Travelling long haul again - what's changed?  6.01 - Tourism Australia's Marketplace event in the UK 14.22 - ATEC Meeting Place in Cairns 17.24 - What they're saying about NZ 20.09...

Air New Zealand are one of the major partners for TRENZ so we are fortunate to have two international GMs join us today for a market update.  Ben Evers-Swindell, General Manager Americas and Jonathan Zhang, General Manager Asia for Air New Zealand join Michelle in today's episode.  We discuss the level of interest from trade in attending TRENZ 2023 and changes in the distribution channel in these...

Steven Dixon has been the General Manager at Qualmark for just over a year now so we thought now is the right time to catch up and hear about the plans he has for the future of the quality assurance programme.  Steven gives us insight into the benefits of being part of Qualmark and shares some of the challenges they've had and how they are working their way through them.  He tells us about some of...

Fresh off their two big wins at this year's NZ Tourism Awards, we welcome Nadine Toe Toe from Kohutapu Lodge and Tribal Tours in Murupara.  This is a raw and real interview that covers starting a regenerative tourism business before it was even a thing we talked about.  Nadine opens up on the challenges they've faced and the success they've had through their very authentic connection with their lo...

PurePods have received a lot of attention in the news recently with their capital raise, so I thought it would be fun to have a chat with their Business Development Manager, Kate Baxter to find out more.  Kate has a history working in tourism but has now swapped her high heels for gumboots and combined her love of the country with her industry experience.  PurePods offer farmers a fantastic way to...

TRENZ is New Zealand’s largest international tourism business event and most important event of the year on the tourism events calendar. TRENZ brings hundreds of international Travel Buyers together to meet with New Zealand’s leading tourism operators (Sellers) over four days to build or renew relationships and negotiate business for upcoming seasons. We’re excited to be heading to TRENZ at Te Pae...

This week we welcome Maverick Digital's Zac Watson to the show.  Zac is Head of Partnerships at Maverick but has held a variety of interesting roles throughout his tourism career.   We chat about everything tourism, from his career journey, to his studies and look at advice for those starting out in the industry and operators heading into our first proper tourism summer for a number of years.  I s...

We're joined today by Tracey Goodall, GM at Great Journeys NZ and Commuter - Kiwirail.  Tracey shares her very interesting career story to date and some of the success stories from working in the regions.  We also discuss the changes and reimagining of the tourism side of NZ Rail and what the team have been up to during the past two years.  This is a great story for those who might be looking at a...

This week is an ode to one of the most successful AFL Captains of all time - Geelong Cats' Joel Selwood.   But bear with me, there is a correlation to tourism and to business.  I'm back from attending the AFL 2022 Grand Final with 100,023 others at the MCG and I couldn't help but notice to the leadership on and off the field and start thinking about how that relates to us in business. So this is m...

Tourism is all about people, and our relationships in the industry is often the main driver for people staying in the industry.  So how do you become a better networker? We're joined today by Te Puia's Adam Taylor-Eruera who is often classed as the King of Networking in NZ Tourism.  Adam has built an incredible network during his time working in the industry so we ask him to share his tips for bei...

What does sustainability mean? And how does it differ from Regenerative Tourism?  These are just two of the questions we tackle today on the show.  We're joined by Tourism Industry Aotearoa's Sustainability Advocate, Gisela Purcell to discuss Sustainability in Tourism.  We cover off the Tourism Sustainability Commitment that over 1500 NZ Tourism businesses have now signed up to, and the best ways...

A short episode this week to cover off the Better Work Action Plan that is out for consultation with the industry at the moment.   MBIE are seeking your feedback on the draft Action Plan to understand: Which Tirohanga Hou (actions) in the draft Action Plan are most important How the Tirohanga Hou (actions) should be prioritised Whether anything critical has been left out of the draft Action Plan M...

Our guest today is well known around NZ as a passionate connector and voice of regional tourism.  He is Air New Zealand's Regional Affairs Manager, Jason Dawson.  Jason joins us to talk about the role our national carrier plays in driving regional economic development initiatives and conversations around the country.  In this chat we cover off everything from route development, new airports, susta...

Content is one of the main pillars of marketing in tourism, so today we thought we'd chat about building communities and content with Sarah Chant from New Zealand Travel Tips.  Sarah lives and breathes content and community, and is convinced of the positive impact both can have on tourism.  Having worked as a travel writer, content designer and community builder for years, she has seen first-hand...

What an amazing week for our industry with the borders now fully open!! We will soon be welcoming cruise ships back to our shores and friends from everywhere around the world.  There is a lot of talk about staffing, and being ready so today we tackle this, and I share some tips from my 'Turn your Customers into Raving fans' workshop.  The inbound operators are busy, and we need to be ready to welc...

When it comes to NZ tourism icons, there is none bigger than our resort town of Queenstown .  Today we’re joined by the new CEO of Destination Queenstown Mat Woods.  It’s fair to say that Mat hasn’t had the traditional career path through the industry to get to his current role, but I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing his interesting back story and how he came to be the new RTO Chief Executive.  In this...

Ever wondered what goes into putting a TV series on air?  We are joined this week by Sarah Farag, owner of leading luxury destination travel business Southern Crossings, and part of the team behind the hugely successful 'Lap of Luxury' TV series that's been showing on our screens.  When the borders closed, Sarah had to think differently in order to keep her business afloat, but also be able to sup...

Have we got the Customer Experience right?  There is a lot of talk about customers having to make their own beds, that NZ is not ready to welcome customers due to our shortage of key workers - none of which is helping our reputation both here in NZ or off-shore.  What are some of the steps we can take as tourism operators to ensure that customers are welcomed into our businesses, have clear expect...

When I was young, I had a t-shirt that said "Anything boys can do, girls can do better". It was the 1980's and I thought I was so ahead of my time!  Well today, we're chatting with an upcoming Rising Star of the Tourism Industry, Alice Orr who is proving that girls can do anything.  Alice is a commercial jet boat driver and all round customer service and sales star at Hukafalls Jet in Taupo and de...