The Tourism Chat Show

This episode of The Tourism Chat Show hosted by Michelle Caldwell features Olivia Ponniah from Liv &Travel, a UK-based independent travel company launched right before the pandemic. Liv shares her experiences as a first-time attendee of the New Zealand tourism trade show, TRENZ, focusing on her search for unique New Zealand travel experiences that cater to luxury travellers. She emphasises the importance of building relationshi...

In this episode of The Tourism Chat Show, host Michelle interviews Helen Hayes, a multi-award winning travel writer and editor from Australia.

We delve deep into the art of storytelling in tourism. Helen shares some insider secrets about effective storytelling to attract travel media attention. She elaborates on the significance of authenticity, passion, and unique experiences in creating compelling stories. Further, she offers val...

This episode of the Tourism Chat Show features an insightful chat with Tom Collier, the owner of Kaewa Tours. As a first-time attendee at TRENZ this year, Tom shares his experience, success, and advice for those considering attending. He advocates for the value of the TRENZ show as integral to his business's growth and the capacity for networking and establishing fruitful relationships.

Tom touches on his journey, from the corporat...

Welcome to our 100th episode!   We are excited to welcome Peter Harding, the Managing Director of Grand Pacific Tours to today's show. 

We'll cover off Peter's career journey, the evolution of coach touring in New Zealand, the shift towards a more discerning and intimate travel experience with smaller vehicle capacities, and the success of their highly rated Ultimate and Premium Economy coach tours. Peter and Michelle delve into ma...

We are back with our first in a series of special episodes dedicated to TRENZ.   Applications have opened for sellers and buyers open today so it's time for you to start planning your international trade activity for 2024!

We have Lou Baddiley from Rotorua NZ on the show today. Lou was a first timer to TRENZ this year so shares some great insights into what the show entails and some great tips on how to get ready for it from an RTO...

Welcome to this week's episode of The Tourism Chat Show! Our guest is Kumar Swaminathan from Xperienz, and he shares fascinating insights on several topics. We delve into his journey into the US market, exploring the opportunities and challenges he's encountered along the way.

Kumar also provides his perspective on the world of luxury and premium travel, and he explains his strategies for identifying and connecting with his 'ideal ...

Totally Tourism's Mark Quickfall joins us on the podcast today to discuss his 30 year love affair with the tourism industry. 

We cover the changes and challenges he's seen throughout his time in tourism, what has changed for the better (and worse) and he shares his views on governance and advice for operators starting out in the tourism industry. 

We tackle the hot topic of tourism in Milford Sound and what's required to get things...

In today's episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Tourism Industry Aotearoa's Chief Executive, Rebecca Ingram. We delve into her first year in the role, the various projects she has been involved in, and the challenges she foresees in the industry. However, the primary focus of our discussion is on TRENZ, New Zealand's most significant tourism trade show. With only two weeks left until the event, we explore the changes made to th...

As the TRENZ trade show in Ōtautahi Christchurch approaches in three weeks, we're sharing tips on how to make the most of your time there. We discuss the importance of preparation to ensure a smooth week, using appointment times to build relationships and gain market insights, structuring presentations during appointments, and following up after the event. We're fortunate to have Adele Marsden from New Zealand Educational Tours, an...

In this episode, we welcome James Donald, co-founder of Yonder and Head of Development to the show.

We explore the fascinating world of ChatGPT, a cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAI. Based on the GPT-3.5 architecture, ChatGPT is capable of understanding and generating human-like language, making it a valuable tool for a variety of applications, including tourism.

We delve into how ChatGPT works, including its training ...

This week we head to Ōtautahi Christchurch to have a chat with Christchurch NZ's Head of Tourism, Kath Low. 

In May, TRENZ returns to Christchurch for the first time since 2006! (who was there?)

A lot has happened since then so we cover off what's new and exciting, some of the things we can expect (but not ALL the secrets) and Kath very generously shares some local insider tips on what to do over the weekend if you're extending you...

It was a month ago that Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through parts of the North Island so today we head to Hawke's Bay for an update on how the visitor sector is faring with Hawke's Bay Tourism Trade Marketing & Sales Manager, Heather Matthews. 

We have an in-depth discussion about the state of tourism in Hawke's Bay covering off access in and out, what's open, how the locals feel about welcoming back visitors and of course, how we can...

It has been two long years since we did a cruise update on the show so today we're delighted to welcome Ro du Plessis-Wentzel from ID Tours to discuss how the restart has gone, the incredibly challenging summer we've had, plus what they look for when building shore excursion programmes for their cruise line customers. 

It's a very informative episode for anyone who works in the cruise industry, or for tourism operators who are keen...