News Hui a Tāpoi 2026: Key Takeaways for Taupō Businesses

Love Taupō’s Tourism Summit, Hui a Tāpoi, brought together operators, hospitality businesses and industry stakeholders from across the Taupō visitor economy under the theme “Tātou tātou, together we are stronger.” Here’s what stood out and what it means for local businesses.

Growth is real, but the landscape has changed

 

Sam Allen from Tourism New Zealand opened with the TNZ update and future growth outlook. The stated targets: 3.7 million arrivals by June 2026, 3.9 million arrivals by December 2026 (recovering to 2019 international visitor arrival levels), and $14.4 billion in tourism exports by June 2027, on track to double the value of tourism exports by 2034. 

TNZ’s FY27 focus areas are visitor (accelerate conversion and arrivals), brand (increase share of mind and intention to book under 100% Pure New Zealand), and sector (enable growth with partners). But the way people find and choose a destination has shifted, and simply “cutting through” now depends heavily on content creation in a changing media landscape.

Business arrivals are still down on pre-COVID levels, but holiday arrivals have recovered strongly, sitting at around 99% of where they were.

Where the growth is coming from

 

Australia, US and UK remain the core, making up 63% of arrivals. International arrivals overall are sitting at 92% of 2019 levels, with the biggest markets by spend in 2026 being North America (42%), Europe (25%) and Australia (18%). The full-year figures presented: global arrivals finished the year up 8.9%, with Australia up 10.0% (helped by regional activity and closing in on double-digit growth), the USA up a more modest 1.1%, China up a strong 27.0% (a big jump in the second half), and the UK up 4.1%. 

The stated future focus is growing Australia, India and China specifically.

India is a genuine good news story. Arrivals have surpassed 2019 levels, now at 125% recovery, with net growth of around 17,000 visitors. Barriers still exist though: visibility across Indian channels, differing eco-systems, and the need for stronger regional action to spread visitors beyond the main centres.

China arrivals have recovered to 77% of 2019 levels, and the market is described as “youthful interest, older visitors.” Younger Chinese travellers (25 to 39) show the most interest, but the visitors actually arriving skew older, especially 55 to 74. The advice for operators wanting to grow visibility in this market:

1. Be China-ready (Chinese-language content, clear pricing and booking steps)
2. Show up in the research channels Chinese travellers actually use (social platforms, high-quality visuals)
3. Make it easy to book (integrate with platforms like Ctrip and Fliggy)

Tourism NZ has a China Market Playbook and visitor profile resources available for operators wanting to dig into this further.

Booking barriers haven’t gone away

The main things stopping people from booking a NZ holiday: waiting for the right life circumstances (34%), needing more research on NZ as a destination (32%), and waiting for a good flight or package deal (32% and 30%). Encouragingly, this is down 13% year on year, suggesting some of these barriers are easing.

AI is reshaping how travellers find us, and this was a big theme of the day

This was arguably the standout topic of the summit. A few key stats:

• 62% of travellers globally are likely to use AI to plan their next trip, and 53% expect to use AI even more for future planning
• Organic search traffic to newzealand.com is down 30% as AI-powered, zero-click search replaces the traditional results page
• Click-through rates on “things to do” style queries have dropped anywhere from 60% to 98%

The core message: the old traveller journey gave operators five or more separate chances to be found (search, articles, comparing tabs, reviews, coming back to book). Now, one AI prompt can collapse that whole path into a single shortlist of 3 to 5 named operators, with no “return later” to fix a missed opportunity.

As one speaker put it: “AI is a recommendation filter, not a search engine.” Your content needs to be:

1. Easy to understand – plain language, clear categories
2. Easy to verify – the same facts consistent across your website, newzealand.com, your RTO listing, OTAs and reviews
3. Easy to classify – specific enough for AI to sort you into the right traveller need (luxury, family, adventure, cultural)

The practical takeaway for operators: keep your business name, region, category and booking pathway consistent everywhere, write out trust signals in plain text rather than relying on logos alone, answer real traveller questions in your FAQs (not just keywords), and do a monthly check on what AI is actually saying about your business.

This is a shared responsibility across Tourism NZ (building the AI-readiness of newzealand.com), RTOs like Destination Great Lake Taupō (anchoring the regional story), and individual operators (owning their own evidence base).

There was also a dedicated afternoon panel on AI for Tourism, with data presented by Ben Blackbourn of One Picture. A few numbers worth knowing: 4 in 10 NZ domestic travellers now use AI tools, led by ChatGPT, to plan travel, with adoption currently driven by younger travellers. 2 in 3 users say AI is important to their travel decisions and is compressing inspiration and planning into fewer steps. 1 in 3 travellers are planning to use AI for their next trip, rising to 53% among those intending to visit the West Coast.

The framing that stood out was the “Planning Trust Loop”: AI drafts a plan effortlessly, but travellers then ask “is this real?” and go back to non-AI channels to settle the doubt before refining the plan again. Those non-AI channels include reviews and ratings, destination and operator websites, social media, video and short-form content, maps and navigation, search and discovery, word of mouth, and deals and offers. As one traveller quote put it: “I ask Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini the same thing, and if they conflict then I check with Google.” The takeaway: current AI tools haven’t fully won this stage due to a lack of confidence in the information provided, meaning the “messy middle” of the booking journey still exists, and still matters for operators. People still click through to check websites and social media because they want to make sure it’s real and current, check local knowledge, hear others talk about it, ensure it’s well reviewed, see what they’ve missed, know the plan will flex if needed, compare and find a deal, and make the final decision themselves.

Specific channels travellers still turn to alongside AI, and why: Google (to double-check the answers AI is giving, and connect directly to what’s being recommended), Google Maps (distances and drive times), Booking.com (pricing, and confidence they’re getting a good deal), YouTube (seeing how other people like them use and enjoy something), Insta/TikTok (what other people share as the “must dos”), websites (checking it’s real and seeing firsthand whether the experience will suit, plus booking direct), and reviews and ratings (confirming, in one traveller’s words, the “best café in Westport”). As one attendee put it: “I still want to know the details, like a full description of what is included and how much it is.”

There’s a genuinely interesting behavioural point here too: in most other categories, people accept AI answers without questioning them, but not with travel. Behaviour scientists call this risk “cognitive surrender,” people accepting AI uncritically, and travellers largely don’t do it. A trip is too precious, so they delegate the homework but keep the final call. They’re offloading the planning, not surrendering it.

The panel’s framing was that LLMs work a little like human brains: they like local truth and facts, consistency, and social validation (word of mouth and reviews), which breaks down into “brand levers” (what you say about yourself, via your website, maps, RTO listing and advertising) and “traveller noise” (what others say about you, via reviews, Reddit, comments and Facebook groups). Consistent, clear messaging built over time is exactly what makes AI confident enough to name you, and word of mouth and reviews now decide whether you’re on the list at all, not just whether you get the sale. 

This doesn’t require a new type of marketing, just the basics of running a good business and marketing fundamentals, done consistently and clearly.

The win from your website and content isn’t necessarily homepage traffic any more. It’s being the trusted source inside the LLMs, and the link people click to be sure. Remember, AI can only recommend what it can find, so no data means no answer. A useful first step suggested: ask ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini about your category and your own business, to see whether and how you currently appear. And being consistently distinctive matters at every level, as a region and as individual operators, across every channel: clear, consistent stories are easier for people to remember and easier for AI to interpret, summarise and recommend, while fragmented brand narratives risk becoming fragmented AI answers, since the AI can’t be confident in who you are.

A genuinely practical checklist came out of this session, matching what travellers (and LLMs) go looking for to what should be on your website:

• Is it real and current? → today’s hours, this season’s times, “updated [date]”
• Local knowledge → best time of day to come, what locals know, the bit visitors miss
• What have I missed? → two or three things worth doing nearby, even if they’re not yours
• Can it flex? → real duration, how far from town, what happens if it rains, who can do it (age, fitness, mobility)
• Can I picture it? → honest photos with captions LLMs can actually read
• Is it reviewed well? → embed live real reviews rather than “testimonials,” plus Qualmark, awards and memberships
• Is there a deal? → the actual price, what’s included, and any deal
• Can I decide myself? → who it’s for, who it’s not for, and one clear way to book

Hamilton Airport: “the gateway effect”

 

Michelle Noordermeer, Group General Manager of Aeronautical Growth and Marketing at Hamilton Airport, made a strong case for the Central North Island’s positioning: Hamilton is the airport, the Central North Island is the destination. Reducing journey friction through an international gateway means visitors stay longer, explore further and spend more, delivering more visitors and regional spend, wider visitor dispersal, and stronger destination appeal and bookability.

She was clear that a new route isn’t just about filling seats. Airlines need the right mix of demand, at the right times, paying fares that support the route economics. What actually makes a route viable:

1. Market size (real demand, directionality, connections)
2. Revenue quality (yield, fare mix, segment resilience)
3. Seasonality (shoulder periods, weaker days, year-round balance)
4. Network fit (aircraft, schedule, frequency, opportunity cost)
5. Airport readiness (turnaround, border, handling, charges)
6. Confidence beyond the airport (regional support, packages and demand conversion)

The realistic near-term route pathway is more services from Australia (Gold Coast and Sydney), driven by Australians, dual-destination Chinese visitors, and connections from North America and Asia.

For the region to support new routes, the ask is to present one connected destination: make the gateway visible, make the journey bookable, and build demand when the airline needs it. Hamilton, Tauranga, Waitomo, Rotorua, Taupō and Ruapehu were named as the connected network with the traveller not knowing, or caring, about local regional boundaries. Locally, 60% of UK arrivals into Hamilton head out to the regions via connecting flights, tourism and other onward journeys, reinforcing Hamilton’s role as a genuine gateway to us.

Air connectivity is expanding

 

Air New Zealand outlined solid capacity growth heading into the 2026/27 northern winter season (late October 2026 to March 2027):

• Asia capacity up 27%, Japan capacity up 20%, with new Singapore–Christchurch and Tokyo–Christchurch services launching in late October and late November respectively
• New Perth–Christchurch route and new Auckland–Western Sydney International flights, with Tasman capacity up 5%
• USA demand remains strong, with 25% more premium seats on offer
• A clear regional push: the focus isn’t just getting people to New Zealand, but getting them out to the regions, with multi-stop and flexible booking options and package curation combining luxury inspiration with regional deals

Locally, Taupō flights are averaging around 70% capacity, with roughly 148 seats needed to break even at an 80% load factor.

Storytelling and authenticity still matter

 

Alongside all the AI talk, there was a strong reminder that the fundamentals haven’t changed. The best travel stories are about people, not itineraries. They build trust because they show your real source and craft. The advice: be clear on who you are, what you offer, how you do it and why it matters, and let your genuine passion and voice come through rather than generic, algorithm-chasing content.

Destination Great Lake Taupō also previewed some new “Taupō, in every light” photography from a recent shoot on the water, part of ongoing work to keep the region’s visual storytelling fresh.

Championing hospitality: Kristy Phillips, Hospitality New Zealand

 

Kristy Phillips, Chief Executive of Hospitality New Zealand, gave an update on serving members and communities. A snapshot of the sector: hospitality and accommodation contributes over $13 billion annually to New Zealand’s GDP, representing 3.8% of the total economy, and employs approximately 170,000 people. It’s one of the largest employers of youth, part-time workers and first-time job seekers, and regional employment is strong across both urban centres and tourist destinations like ours.

Hospitality NZ’s work spans advocacy, legal and resources (a member adviceline plus employment and legal support), training, networks and community, and data and insights. Their strategy is guided by three values built around manaakitanga (hospitality): ōhanga (economic prosperity and wellbeing), whanaungatanga (relationships and community) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship and sustainability), reflecting 124 years of adapting to a changing hospitality landscape.

Out of the Hospitality Summits (December 2024 and March 2026), 63 actionable solutions were identified across seven priority areas (data, immigration policy, licensing and regulatory compliance, alcohol policy, employment, skills and training, and hospitality and tourism), with 21 recommendations completed or in progress by March 2026. Concrete wins so far include a Ministry for Regulation review into hospitality, the Michelin announcement highlighting NZ’s food story, Easter Trading reform receiving Royal Assent for Good Friday trading, and accrual of sick leave on an hourly basis now included in the Holidays Act reforms.

Looking ahead, focus areas include becoming the industry of choice, workforce development and training, sustainability and innovation, embracing technology, and mental health and wellbeing. On the policy front: a Tourism Policy Statement to align central government, local government and industry, work on the IVL, an industry-led curriculum for hospitality and tourism, and an election manifesto covering workforce, immigration, excise tax reductions, a compulsory national Short Term Rental Accommodation Register, and secondary tax reform.

Sustainability as a competitive advantage

 

Paul Button, CEO of Rotorua Canopy Tours Group, spoke to a theme worth sitting with: “what started out as the right thing to do has turned into a competitive advantage.” He walked through the journey of their conservation arm, the Canopy Conservation Trust:

• Phase 1 in 2013, “Re-awakening the Silent Forest”: $35,000, 700 hours, 50 hectares trapped, 515 traps, and 800 animals trapped in one week. The big lessons learned were that it was labour intensive, involved huge volumes of animals, and ultimately unsustainable as an approach.
• The Trust has since partnered with DOC, using tourism dollars to restore the environment and moving to modern trapping innovation and sustainable pest control technology.
• A carbon study is underway with a genuinely striking dream behind it: to prove there is so much carbon stored in the forest underlayer that a predator-free New Zealand would be carbon neutral. So far they’ve shown that Dansey Rd has 5 times more carbon stored in the ground than a pine forest, a field of grass, and a juvenile native forest.
• Their newest initiative is launching the Kaupapa Tītitpounamu, focused on the rifleman, one of New Zealand’s smallest native birds.

Well worth a conversation with Rotorua Canopy Tours or a look at their approach if you’re weighing up sustainability investments for your own business, given how directly it’s now paying off commercially for them.

Chang Chen (YOREKA): winning the Chinese market without breaking the bank

 

Chang Chen, Director of YOREKA, brought a genuinely useful, practical session on the Chinese inbound market. Her own background spans 27 years in Beijing and 12 in Auckland, split across marketing agency work, in-house marketing, and NZ tourism marketing and sales, so this came from real hands-on experience.

Her framing of what shapes a Chinese visitor’s itinerary is worth knowing: they ask locals (via Douyin, WeChat, NZ Chinese media), search OTAs (Fliggy, Trip.com, Booking.com, Expedia), research on social media (Douyin, RedNote, Ctrip, reality shows), go to offline stores (travel agents, Ctrip, clubs), and increasingly ask AI (Wendao, Doubao, Deepseek, Qianwen, Diandian, Xiaowei). It’s a genuinely different ecosystem to the Western booking journey.

She was upfront about why operators hesitate to invest here: choice overload (too many possible starting points), operational complexity (every platform seems to need a different playbook), and high perceived cost with uncertain return. Her answer: “just do it, and use an agile approach.” Build presence one experiment at a time by claiming the free starting points, publishing useful content with AI support, then waiting, listening and learning.

On the trade side, she introduced Libretour.com as a way to shorten the communication pathway between operators/RTOs and overseas buyers. For operators it’s a five-step process that leans on material you already have: upload what you have (slide decks, PDFs, brochures, product sheets), review and refine the AI-drafted course structure, publish in up to 15 languages with narration generated automatically, invite your buyers to learn free at their own pace, and track engagement to see who’s completed the course and where interest is growing.

DGLT update: how Taupō is actually performing

 

The Destination Great Lake Taupō update included some genuinely strong local numbers worth knowing:

• Taupō generated $477 million in visitor spend in FY2026, a 6.9% increase against the national growth rate of 4.6%
• Taupō ranked 8th among New Zealand’s 31 regional tourism organisations for growth, and of the ten largest visitor economies, only Auckland grew faster
• On the domestic side, while spending fell nationally, Taupō grew 3.6%, the 6th strongest result in the country. Spending increased in 13 of New Zealand’s 16 regions, and even though Auckland visits fell 8%, spending from Auckland still rose

The shoulder season remains the challenge to fix: peak summer occupancy hits 80% in January, but shoulder sits at 42%, with the real competition being May to September (June is the worst month, at 33%), and it’s not just months, it’s weekdays too. Lifting those five shoulder months from 42% to 55% occupancy is estimated to be worth roughly $20 to $26 million to the region.

There was also useful research on visitor perceptions that’s worth sitting with. Three findings stood out: visitors are “easy to plan, hard to imagine” here (confident about getting here, staying and affording it, but unable to picture what they’d actually do); we’re “stop and look, not stay and do” (most people struggle to name anything to do here beyond Huka Falls, and we’re somewhere to pass through rather than stay); and “we have no shorthand” (Rotorua is Action, Coromandel is Chill, Queenstown is Love, and Taupō had no single word at all. Our real competitor is being forgettable).

On a brighter note, the top-performing social content for the year was named: The Farmers Rest (575.6K views), the 2026 Taupō Winter Festival (377.5K views), Whakamoenga Point (325K views), and Puketui Forest Escape (278K views).

Building an impactful story: Shona Cobham, DGLT

 

Shona Cobham from DGLT ran a breakout on storytelling that’s directly useful for any operator writing their own content. Her framing: told well, your story can be a powerful influencer, but an impactful story begins with the audience, not with you. That audience is domestic, national and local, and international; people online considering the destination and your product; users on published platforms looking for inspiration; and increasingly, AI itself, which needs the story and the answers, along with an online presence to feed that.

What makes a good story, in her words: cover 

• who, 
• what, 
• when, 
• where, 
• why and 
• how

Build an emotional connection through your own passion for your place and what you do; include enough detail to be relevant, without overloading; paint a picture and find your hook; and never underestimate the importance of good visuals. She encouraged operators to put themselves and their team in the story rather than staying anonymous, and to use passion and emotion while staying grounded in the facts.

Her practical ask of local operators: keep Love Taupō in the loop. DGLT is actively working media relationships and opportunities, researching and developing story ideas, creating content and making regular submissions to publishing platforms, and media opportunities built this way tell a regional story that benefits all operators, not just one. Four concrete steps to work with them: tag @lovetauponz on Instagram, upload your high-quality photos and videos via the link in their newsletter, invite their team to visit and capture short-form video, and keep them updated, since the more they know, the more opportunities they have to feature your story.

Simple, searchable, real: social media best practices for 2026

 

Noora Tuikkanen (DGLT and Social Tui) followed with a very useful session for anyone running their own social media. Her framing of how social media has changed:

• Follower count used to drive post performance; now the algorithm shows people content based on what they engage with, not just who they follow. Meaning: even an account with 10 followers can reach thousands if the content performs well.
• Likes used to drive performance; now saves and shares matter more, since they show real intent to come back to something or pass it on. Meaning: create content people find valuable enough to save or share.
• Search mostly happened on Google; now social search has grown from under 1% of views in 2022 to over 22% today, and 1 in 3 Gen Z are skipping Google altogether. Meaning: use searchable captions, keywords and clear text.
• High-quality posts often meant professional shoots; now some of the best-performing content is filmed on iPhone. Meaning: you don’t need a big budget, you need to film the right moments clearly, show the real visitor experience, and entertain and inspire rather than just sell.
• Social media was mainly for inspiration; now people use it to help plan their trip, not just get inspired. Meaning: make content useful, not just beautiful.

On keeping it simple without a big budget: iPhone is genuinely the best tool for content creation: 

• film vertical (4K, 60fps), 
• use natural light, 
• keep clips steady with slow movements, and 
• clean your lens: EVERY TIME!

Her top content tips: hook the viewer by leading with the strongest moment rather than saving it for the end (and add a text hook on screen for videos); show visitors’ favourite moments by noting what visitors actually photograph and posting about those; don’t only sell, inspire and entertain too; include people in your content, since people help the experience feel real; keep it simple without crazy fonts or transitions; and add captions to talking videos, since 70% of people watch without sound.

On being searchable: people aren’t just scrolling, they’re searching on social media too. For @lovetauponz, 40.5% of TikTok views came from Search. Reel searches people used to find their content included “things to do in Taupo,” “Taupo accommodation,” “Taupo airbnb,” “Lake Taupo,” “Taupo restaurants,” “Taupo food spots,” “Taupo cafe,” and “Taupo things to do winter,” so those are genuinely worth working into your own captions and keywords.

On being real: avoid AI-generated visuals when selling a real visitor experience. If you have a real place, real people, real food, real rooms, real views or a real activity, show the real thing. Fake-looking visuals create doubt: is this place even real, why aren’t they showing the real thing, will I be disappointed in real life? Real visuals build trust instead, helping visitors understand what they’re booking, know what to expect, and feel confident choosing you.

She also broke down what to focus on by operator type, which is worth bookmarking for your own business:

• Classic accommodation (motels, hotels): nearby things to do, room walk-throughs, views, guest touches and small welcome gifts, local tips and stories
• Unique stays (cabins, retreats, lodges, lake-view stays, tiny homes): strong inspirational visuals (iPhone and professional photos), outdoor baths, views, searchable content, creator collaborations
• Experiences and tours: short-form video, inspirational content, photos of visitors, clear search keywords, the experience itself, behind the scenes, what visitors photograph most, humour or personality where it fits
• Food and drink (restaurants, cafés, bars): professional food photography, short-form iPhone video (Reels/TikTok), dishes, drinks, atmosphere and interior, searchable keywords, creator collaborations

Her closing message was simply to keep going: you need enough input and volume to understand what’s working. Post consistently, look at views, reach, saves, shares, likes and comments, notice patterns, and make more of what works. Learn from similar businesses doing well on social media and consider what they’re doing that you could adapt.

Talking to the modern traveller: TripAdvisor and Viator

 

This session covered two of the platforms many of you are probably already listed on, and it was full of specific, usable detail.

TripAdvisor: AI and review strategy. 65% of travellers now use AI to plan trips, up 25% year on year, and expected to hit 90% by next year. 43% book accommodation based on AI recommendations and 38% choose destinations from AI suggestions. TripAdvisor itself is cited in 71% of all travel-related LLM prompts, ranked number one, and appears positively 70% of the time. The reasons AI favours TripAdvisor: over 1 billion pieces of review content refreshed at 200 reviews a minute, long-form reviews with clear sentiment and 1 to 5 bubble ratings, and 25+ years of domain authority. New Zealand’s presence on the platform: 5.4 million reviews, 21,000 accommodation listings, 16,000 things to do.

What this means practically for optimising your visibility:

• Reviews matter more than ever. Encourage guests to leave specific, detailed reviews, ask happy guests directly to mention what they enjoyed, and reply to every single review now (previously “3 in 5” was considered sufficient). Echo back specific details in your replies, for example mentioning the local coffee roastery a guest name-checked.
• For negative reviews, respond strategically rather than reactively. Write a draft first and revisit it the next day before posting. Look for a way to flip the narrative (a weather cancellation becomes evidence of a safety-conscious operator). You only get one response, so make it count.
• Consistency across all your online listings is essential. Mismatched hours or addresses across platforms causes AI to drop you entirely. Use AI itself to find where you’re being referenced, then update each source.
• On imagery and video: write detailed, descriptive captions on every image (the same caption can be reused across platforms), set up a YouTube channel for video content if you don’t have one, and caption all videos, since Google AI references video highly.

Viator: distribution and product best practices. Viator reaches over 100,000 travel agents globally through its B2B platform, including Flight Centre, House of Travel and Trail Finders, and powers 4,000+ partner websites including Booking.com, Expedia, Qantas points redemptions and Trip.com. One product listing distributes to all of those partners for a single monthly payment, and commission is only charged on completed bookings. There’s currently a free listing offer, with the $49 fee waived until the end of September for new partners.

What makes a strong product listing (70 to 80% of users decide from the first view): a title that includes location, duration and activity, and justifies the price point (is it private, all-inclusive, does it include lunch?); images of people actually doing the activity rather than posed smiling shots; and reviews, where the bubble rating matters more than the volume of reviews. Their advice on consolidation: combine tiered options (like 10, 20 and 30 minute flights) into one listing with upgrades, which avoids self-competition for visibility and consolidates your reviews in one place rather than splitting them. On categories, select all three allowed, always include Sightseeing, and add Shore Excursion if applicable.

On NZ performance and the upcoming peak season: for the year to date (January to July 2026), the US and Australia together make up over 50% of NZ bookings, the average booking window is 43 days (so not last-minute), the US average order value is around $500, and roughly 400,000 NZ experiences have been booked so far this year. Rotorua is the fastest-growing NZ destination, up 65% year on year and now the 4th largest nationally. Our own region is up 32% in items booked and 46% in revenue year on year, though there are currently only 30 live products listed for the region, suggesting real headroom for more local operators to list. Scenic, water and aerial experiences are selling exceptionally well, making up 21% of total NZ business. The peak season prep window is now: research sessions pick up in September and bookings follow in October, so title, main image and product structure are worth prioritising before then.

Three concrete next steps operators can act on immediately: audit all your online listings for consistency, since mismatched hours or addresses across TripAdvisor, Google and your own website will cause AI to remove you from results entirely; add detailed captions to all existing images and videos, reusing the same caption across platforms, and set up a YouTube channel if you don’t have one; and review and update your Viator product listings before September.

What this means for us

 

The day opened with a mihi whakatau from Brendan Ngawati and was MC’d throughout by Steve Giles of Taupō District Council, with a welcome message from Mayor John Funnell and opening remarks from Tom Loughlin (DGLT board member and owner of Kaiwaho) and Patrick Dault (General Manager, DGLT).

Alongside the keynotes and breakouts, the day also featured a Regional Food Showcase in the foyers, sponsored by Baked with Love, Bistro Lago, Bombay Bistro, Café Lacus, Chengdu Kitchen, Dough Bros, Jimmy Coops, L’Arté, Suncoast Indian and The Cozy Corner, and an afternoon Operator Marketplace connecting tourism operators with visitor-facing staff. A nice reminder that alongside all the strategy and data, the day was also a chance for our local hospitality operators to be seen and tasted: and it was delicious!