Lodges of NZ Take their 27 Pieces of Luxury to Shanghai
Lodges of New Zealand Take their 27 Pieces of Luxury
to Shanghai
New Zealand’s finest
collection of luxury lodges will be represented for the
fifth consecutive year at an ‘invitation only’ tourism
event to be held in Shanghai next
month.
Capitalising on the ever growing emerging
Asian tourist market, Lodges of New Zealand will be in
Shanghai from June 4 to 7 to attend ILTM Asia, a tourism
trade show where international suppliers do business with
Asia Pacific luxury travel buyers.
Lodges of New
Zealand is a group of 27 carefully-selected luxury lodges
spanning the length and breadth of New Zealand, and is
committed to executing a world-class standard of service.
Lodges of New Zealand Chairman Murray McCaw said
attending ILTM displayed not only their commitment to
catering for the aspirational Asian tourist, but also their
commitment to “doing their bit” for New Zealand tourism
as a whole.
“We’re determined to help grow
that area of the market and get out there and make our
contribution,” he said.
“When Lodges of New
Zealand first began attending this trade show four or so
years ago there was very little New Zealand
interest.
“This year I believe there will be
about ten New Zealand stands. This trade show is like no
other when it comes to the inbound luxury tourist market and
it’s imperative we maintain our presence.”
Mr
McCaw said Lodges of New Zealand had been committed to the
Asian market for many years and continued to see the
benefits of investing in such an important trade
event.
“We’re continuing our campaign to spread
the word about our collection of spectacular accommodation
and service offering, in some of New Zealand’s most
exquisite locations.”
As a newly appointed
Chairman for the association, Mr McCaw said he had taken on
board comments recently made by Tourism New Zealand Chief
Executive Kevin Bowler about the need for Kiwis to lift
service levels and quality of experiences on offer in order
to extend the average stay of the Asian
visitor.
“Mr Bowler raised some good points when
he talked about the importance of getting Asian visitors to
stay longer and that the potential of this market is
enormous,” he said.
“Luxury is not only about
the property but the experience in its entirety. Each
environment, coupled with the personal hosted experiences
and services we offer at our collection of lodges, wraps
that together.
“I’m extremely confident when I
say Lodges of New Zealand members have the expertise and
adaptability to deliver the service experience and comfort
levels desired by the aspirational Asian tourist.”
Mr McCaw said New Zealand had an array of world
class establishments providing a distinctive ‘typically
Kiwi’ style of service sought after from people around the
world.
“We believe the way to attract Asian
tourists is to not try to imitate other tourist
destinations, but rather show them the outstanding offering
available in New Zealand.
“New Zealand will never
be a glitzy Monaco, Paris or replicate the Gold Coast, but
what we do have is open space, mountains and spectacular
landscape all of which people from around the world have
been visiting New Zealand to see for
decades.
“Our presence at ILTM allows us to speak
directly with Asian Pacific luxury travel buyers and help
mould the expectations of Asian visitors who come here to
experience what being Kiwi is all about.”
Mr
McCaw said executing international standards of service and
cuisine was second nature to Lodges of New Zealand hosts and
owners.
“Our lodges provide an opportunity for
visitors of any nationality to experience the finest Kiwi
cuisine,” he said. “However we understand that each
visitor may have a different cuisine preference, and that
there is a lot of difference between a Japanese or Chinese
breakfast, for example. Our lodges are easily able to adapt
to this varied demand.
“Asian tourists have an
expectation when it comes to service and we’re proud to
provide this and the feedback we’ve received from Asian
guests who have already visited our collection of lodges is
telling us that we’re getting it right.
“We
have one of the most unique natural environments in the
world and every lodge location offers a piece of unique New
Zealand landscape.”
For more information about
the Lodges of New Zealand collection go to www.lodgesofnz.co.nz
ENDS