All Eyes on Wellington and Wairarapa
30 April 2007
Wellington and Wairarapa take centre stage this week, when 25 of the regions’ tourism businesses show-off their wares in Auckland.
The Wellington and Wairarapa Trade Day takes place at the SKYCity Auckland Convention Centre on Thursday 3 May. It brings together a broad range of tourism businesses, and is designed as an update to inbound operators and reservation staff.
“This is all about Wellington and Wairarapa tourism businesses making face-to-face contact with some of the country’s key inbound operators and reservations staff,” says Positively Wellington Tourism CEO Tim Cossar. “We recognise the vital link that New Zealand inbound operators provide between tourism operators and offshore travel companies selling New Zealand product.”
The Wellington and Wairarapa Trade Day is an annual regional marketing effort. It showcases the depth and breadth of tourism products available across the two regions, including accommodation providers, tours operators and attractions.
A new exhibitor this year is Experience Stansborough, a Lower Hutt-based attraction that takes visitors on a behind-the-scenes journey, showing how they create their original heirloom textiles, now famous from Sax Fifth Avenue to the magic cloaks in Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia movies.
Cheryl Eldridge, Experience Stansborough co-owner, says the event provides an invaluable networking opportunity. “It’s fantastic for us, as a new tourism business, to be able to talk to such influential inbound operators. It’s good exposure for Stansborough.”
Also new this year is Holiday Inn Wellington, Centr@l Apartments & Hotels and luxury Wairarapa properties Parehua Country Estate and Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park Wairarapa. Two popular Wellington food tour companies Zest Food Tours of New Zealand and Wild About Wellington will also be there, along with the nature attractions Karori Sanctuary, Kapiti Island Alive and Pukaha Mount Bruce.
The Trade Day is a full day event, made up of an open trade exhibition in the morning, followed by scheduled one-on-one appointments with inbound operators in the afternoon. Positively Wellington Tourism is inviting Auckland inbound consultants and reservation staff to attend the open trade exhibition from 9.30am to 11.30am.
