i-SITE numbers remain strong despite challenges

October 1st, 2011

Despite harder economic times, the number of visitors using Motueka i-SITE increased in the past year, thanks to focused marketing and a stable sales force with growing product knowledge.

This happy statistic was reported to the AGM of the Tasman Bays Promotion Association (TBPA) on Wednesday by the i-SITE manager Lois Walker in her annual report.

She said that this coming season will be the first in her time there that the summer team will be identical to the year before. "Suz, Hayden, Jackie and Elise, the core team, will have Olivia back during her university break to build on the product knowledge of last summer."

i-SITE served 76,751 people last year - up by 2200 on the year before. The popular information centre is owned and operated by TBPA, which is the main tourism industry association in the Tasman district. It now represents 144 members - mainly accommodation and tourism activity providers) - and 79 non-member advertisers. Both these numbers are also small increases on the previous year.

"The key to our viability was that these businesses commit to our function and professionalism and we trust in turn that we repay their confidence," Lois reported. "Within our TBPA membership we sold 11% more accommodation in our Abel Tasman area for the 2010-11 year and about the same value as last year for Abel Tasman activities."

DoC sales were up 16% mainly because they held their summer prices for winter for the first time. But Lois said she continued to be frustrated that the $62,000 of hut and tent bookings i-SITE does for DoC are not commissionable. "This is the only operator out of over 550 we deal with who requires us to add on a booking fee and this is perceived as a negative for many of our customers no matter how we explain the need."

In total and including DoC, i-SITE booked and processed 12,254 vouchers for operators nationwide - an increase of 388. The service continues to hold its 83% pass with Qualmark as an Information Centre.

Although i-SITE's website upgrade didn't work out, staff have been working to present operator listings more effectively and to align the look of the current site more closely with the Visitor Guide. Staff have been saturating the text and captions of pages with search-engine friendly text and this work has improved the site's position from being on Google's second page when searching for the Abel Tasman, to appearing in fifth position on the first page.

"Last year I pledged that we'd get into the coming season with maximum optimism and energy and aim for the best result possible," Lois concluded. "I'm confident we've achieved that despite being dealt ash clouds, shocking earthquakes, punitive exchange rates and uncertainty around inbound numbers.

"There was optimism in the short term with the Rugby World Cup, but tempered by what most members saw as the looming threat of DoC and TDC planning to curtail commercial opportunities in the longer term. This is the very stuff of success or stress that goes with running a tourism business and here at the i-SITE, we see and feel your triumphs and challenges from a unique perspective."

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