Reflecting on the good times @Explore Thames NZ

Welcome to 2024!

It was with great excitement that we saw the reopening of SH25A in time for the peak summer season. This combined with weather that we'd expect to see with a Coromandel summer and the reopening of some prominent DOC walks, has helped lift spirits and bring to life that good for your soul feeling. While we eagerly await regional spending data and sentiment analysis, anecdotally we're hearing the region is doing well.

The Coromandel Cure campaign will kick back into action in the coming weeks, with the aim to push visitation into the shoulder season.

Join stage two of The Coromandel Cure

The PR and awareness phase of The Coromandel Cure has wound up, with some fantastic results and operator engagement. With a PR value exceeding $90,000 and a potential reach of over 5M, scientifically proven to be good for your soul has no doubt made some noise. We’ve always said the region is good for your soul, and now we've had this backed by science. This campaign provides marketing opportunities far beyond just The Coromandel Cure, and could be leveraged for years to come.

The final phase, due to launch in the coming weeks, will focus on pushing further awareness and conversion. So what's needed for this...... cures, prescriptions, whatever you want to call it, we need your offerings to entice and push the desire to book. We've currently got about 30 packages (cures/prescriptions) on offer, but with some due to expire we'd invite you to get in quick and join The Cure.

Find out how to participate here (including simple marketing tools). By identifying your Coromandel Cure you will leverage the considerable power of this campaign.

And as always, tag #goodforyoursoul when sharing your take on The Coromandel Cure.

Read the Press Release: The Coromandel scientifically proven to be ‘good for your soul’ in world first

Join The Coromandel Cure

A visit from the Tourism and Hospitality Minister, Hon Matt Doocey

Earlier in the week, Destination Hauraki Coromandel hosted the new Tourism and Hospitality Minister Hon Matt Doocey to Hauraki Coromandel. The minister met with key partners such as Thames-Coromandel District Council, Ngāti Hei and the Mercury Bay Business Association and tourism operators.

It was a great opportunity to share our tourism recovery priorities to build back better from the January 2023 storms. These being:

1. A resilient transport network as the priority for communities in Hauraki-Coromandel, to keep us connected to the world.

2. A reimagined Cathedral Cove experience is the ideal opportunity to deliver compounding net positive benefits for nature, locals and visitors.

As well as pushing for equitable tourism funding to support visitor infrastructure and capitalise on our natural asset base is essential.

Elevate Hauraki | Your Business, Your Future

Elevate Hauraki is coming to the Hauraki District to support start-up businesses,
entrepreneurs and small business owners to take their business or business idea to
new heights in 2024.

This six-week, part-time, in-person programme (for those based in the Hauraki District) will teach participants everything they need to know about starting and running a successful business.
The six sessions take place one evening per week, running between 14 February and
20 March 2024 and the programme allows participants to join a community of like-
minded entrepreneurs and business people.

Elevate Hauraki is a SODA Inc programme and is proudly supported by Gr8 Job
Hauraki (through Mayors Taskforce for Jobs) and Hauraki District Council.
Applications open on 19 December and close 21 January 2024. Spaces are limited.
Find out more and apply at https://letstalk.hauraki-dc.govt.nz/elevatehauraki

Promoting your business with international travel trade

International visitors are highly valued in Hauraki Coromandel, and they contribute much despite coming in fewer numbers than domestic visitors. Many businesses would like to promote themselves internationally, but the trick is getting a share of the tiny voice that is New Zealand in this vast and diverse market.

That is why export-ready businesses, Destination Hauraki Coromandel, other RTOs and Tourism New Zealand actively target travel trade channels, particularly New Zealand-based inbound specialists. Applications for TRENZ 2024 have now closed but there is still a few days to get registered for eXplore.

eXplore Central North Island Trade show | 30 May 2024, Auckland

Held annually at Eden Park, this is a one day event to promote your business to inbound travel agents, Tourism New Zealand, Auckland i-SITE staff and others. This is a free-flow event, however some appointments are planned this year at the agents' request. We expect some international agents in the country for TRENZ will attend too (we're inviting them).

To find out more and register: https://www.explorecentralnorthislandnz.com/explore2024exhibit/ Registrations close early Feb 2024.

Nga mihi
Destination Hauraki Coromandel