Major new emphasis from the tourism authorities in New Zealand with a radical repositioning of its web presence to focus on user generated content and destination activities.
The redesigned site is being touted as the next phase of the DMO's digital marketing strategy as it looks to move from a purely information portal about the country to a wider travel planning tool.
Tourism New Zealand reckons 80% of travellers to the country use the web for research, planning and booking their trips, triggering a rethink of how it not only engages with consumers before and after visit but helps travel businesses in New Zealand.
On the user generated content side, visitors are being encourage upload their own content (photos, etc) as well as pulling in content from the likes of YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr.
But it is the functionality and search tools around destination tour and activities which is likely to catch the eye of travel businesses in the country.
Suppliers will be able to create their own pages on the site, including content, images and lists of deals, all of which will feed into its country-wide search engine for things to do.
Tourism New Zealand has made registration for the service free to any company selling New Zealand-based products, but is also attempting to ensure such products are useful from a user experience perspective by ranking them on the site based on use of video, images as well as feedback from consumers.
The organisation says the new site represents a shift in its marketing strategy from simple awareness raising to potential visitors to targeting those that are already considering New Zealand for a trip and want to know what additional services and products are available.