Why A New Wave of Kiwi Accommodation Providers Need to Tap into Kiwi Ingredients to Make the Most of NZ's Tourism Boom

Published on Mar 13, 2017

As we enjoy the height of New Zealand’s autumn season, latest figures show that the country is enjoying a boomtime in tourism – and that means more and more people are looking to cash in on the waves of arrivals to our shores.

The most recent Government numbers showed that national guest nights jumped 6% to 3 million in October compared to the same month in 2015. The surge was felt equally in North and South Islands (up 6.5% in the North, and 5.3% in the South) and was driven by a huge 17% rise in international guest nights – that’s an incredible 1.24 million.

The three months of spring usually account for around 23% of international visitors whereas the peak summer season sees 35% of guests flying in from overseas – all of which means the October figures are likely to presage a record-breaking summer season for accommodation providers throughout the country.

One of the key drivers for overseas tourism is New Zealand’s strong signature brand for being clean and green – and more and more Kiwis understand that they can tap into this image while providing accommodation for some of the millions of visitors.

It’s a seriously growing sector of the industry with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment last year reporting that Airbnb listings had doubled to more than 15,000 in the previous 12 months while just the holidayhomes.co.nz website listed 9700 properties offering more than 28,000 rooms.

If you are one of the thousands of Kiwis who have decided to turn holiday homes or spare rooms into a fast buck, then it’s important to carry through on New Zealand’s branding. After all, it’s why many visitors have chosen to come and they don’t want to be let down to find their accommodation looks and feels much like the accommodation they’ve left behind overseas.

And just as they’re likely to look for Kiwi items on the menu when they dine out, or visit peculiarly Kiwi attractions when they’re sight-seeing, so they ought to find uniquely Kiwi products in their guest accommodation.

When you are kitting out your holiday home, Airbnb or B&B rooms, your choice of guest amenities speaks volumes about both where you are and the sort of message you want us, as Kiwis, to give to our visitors. And if you are choosing Chinese-made products with lists of ingredients you cannot begin to verify, then you are only paying lip-service to our strong “think local” brand.

HealthPak are the country’s only provider of New Zealand-sourced, New Zealand-made hair and skin care products using unique New Zealand ingredients. We have developed our ranges so that Kiwi accommodation businesses can help tell the stories of the places around them from the moment their guests step through their front door.

Our retail ranges ecostore and Therapy use natural ingredients from sustainable sources and the Therapy range includes an Environmental Guest Hair & Body Care Compendium Insert that outlines the eco credentials of the products and promotes your own environmentally friendly approach to sustainable tourism.

While there’s a push at the top end of large hotel chains to go with branded guest amenities, at the B&B, Airbnb, holiday home and motel end of the market there is also a lot of mileage to be gained from working alongside strong local brands like ecostore and Therapy, which are produced in association with The Aromatherapy Company.

As more and more Kiwis either assess how their first full season as an accommodation provider has panned out, or how they can get involved in the country’s tourism boom, they will look to hook into the same brand values as the country’s major tourism and accommodation companies.

If you want more information on how HealthPak can work alongside your business to provide that unique Kiwi experience or for details on our current range of guest amenities, call us on +64 9 579 6268, email us at info@healthpak.co.nz or contact us via the website.