What has your Board been up to in the last month?
March 2021 Update
Donna Brooke, President ...
Work continues on the upcoming conference and we are developing an exciting line up of speakers. For me personally, the BBANZ conference is a highlight of my year. To mix and mingle with my peers and be informed on the latest and greatest ideas, products and services is a real bonus.
I attended the Small Business Reference Group – a group of small business tourism operators that meet with TIA to discuss issues of the moment. Key issues amongst us all are A deteriorating view of tourism, Industry Recovery (there is quite a bit of talk around the viability of the RBPN programmes), Auckland lockdowns, support packages and industry resilience.
Also at the Domestic Tourism Marketing Group, chaired by Tourism NZ a few key points were put forward. The Tourism New Zealand Domestic Campaign continues with strong interaction. Kiwis are still embracing ‘new’. April/May TNZ advertising will be focused on family and school holiday inspiration. I mentioned on FB about making sure your deals on the newzealand.com website are up to date and relevant as these are the most looked at pages. Also there was talk about ‘retail moments’ and how to lift our game in the tourism industry. For example valentines day, Chinese new year etc.
We are thrilled to have Vision Insurance back on board as a Gold Sponsor and Sleepyhead as a Silver Sponsor.
It has been really heartening to see new members joining up this month and the Facebook group page continues to be a page that offers robust conversation.
We are holding a Board meeting later this month so if you have anything you'd like to raise for the Board to discuss or consider let me know.
You can contact me on - president@bandbassociation.co.nz
Janet Dixon, Vice President, Picton
Marlborough group had an excellent morning catch up and we are all excited to be attending summit.
I've assigned assessors for those due and ready so properties should hear from their assessor soon.
To contact Janet - email anchordownbbpictonnz@gmail.com
Fiona Rollings, Association Secretary ...
This month has been very busy for me as I work with Donna to our conference together.
And supporting our new members - it is fabulous to see so many new members joining the Association.
Finally, work on the submission to the Auckland Council took time. To see that the AC is determined to bring the APTR back in some form is incredibly disappointing. It has united tourism associations as we try to ensure this rate is not brought back.
With the lockdowns over the last couple of months I lost quite a bit of business with the cancellation of events here in Hawke's Bay. It was a relief to see that income support payments I applied for both came through quickly and without question. If you don't receive your payments or are questioned, then please make sure you let us know.
I'm looking forward to catching up with you all at conference.
You can contact Fiona on secretary@bandbassociation.co.nz
Glenn Gairdner, Matamata ...
As the summer season starts to disappear I have been reflecting on how lucky we have been to see our domestic tourism business grow over the last season. While the overall volume of business is considerably lower than we would normally expect it has been enlightening to see Kiwi's moving around our beautiful countryside. Let's hope this continues over the coming season and well into the future.
At Villa Walton we have investigated areas to generate additional income, we offer an in-house menu which is very popular with guests, and while this does not suit all properties or owners it can generate great revenue alongside your accommodation income. You don't need to offer an extensive menu, maybe just a small platter selection or Homemade lasagna which I pre-cook then defrost and heat when required, tastes amazing and our guests love it. Maybe try making a smoked chicken salad, the shelf life for sealed smoked chicken is long and requires just a quick salad to make a great dish that we charge at $35.00 per person. We also sell homemade relish and jams along with a good selection of wines and beers to our in-house guests, which they love. This has all proved very popular and creates additional income for the business. We decided not to approach our adventure and attraction partners regarding commission as we would have done prior to COVID when booking guests, however by not claiming any commission it's a small way we can support our industry partners during COVID.
During the Bed & Breakfast Summit in Wellington I'll be hosting a relaxed and informative session for new members or anyone who has questions or suggestions on ways to help grow and navigate the challenges and opportunities within your accommodation business, please check the itinerary for details. Hope to see you all there, regards Glenn.
You can contact Glenn on - info@villawalton.co.nz
Nick James, Nelson ...
You can contact Nick on - nick@annickhouse.co.nz
Liz Webster - Wanaka
We as a regional group are now onto the implementation stage for our project to rebrand our local BBANZ hosted accommodation regional group. We have attended a number of workshops led by a local marketing company learning how to incorporate the new branding into our individual businesses and our websites and how to use it in social media.
I have been up and down the west coast. As a board member . I have visited Anne and Fraser at Woodland Glen Lodge in Hokitika and will pop into Hollys Homestead in Franz Josef tomorrow.
Rest of my time as a representative of the board has been visiting and supporting our local members. Attending local group coffee, and attending webinars and zoom meetings on regenerative tourism as part of focus group here in our region.
You can contact Liz on - stay@webstersonwanaka.co.nz