Kiwi Link eyes Indian travellers

Tourism New Zealand welcomed 15 buyers from India at the first in-person trade event after two years – Kiwi Link Asia 2022. The event was held in Singapore from 29 to 31 August 2022. It supported Tourism New Zealand’s bintegrated strategy in Asia on trade events.

TT Bureau

After two-year hiatus, Tourism New Zealand’s iconic trade event, Kiwi Link returned this year to reconnect travel trade partners from Asia with New Zealand tourism businesses. The trade event, Kiwi Link Asia 2022 was held in Singapore from 29 to 31 August 2022.

The event provided a unique opportunity for representatives of the New Zealand tourism industry to educate and establish business relationships with key travel partners from India, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. From one-on-one appointments with product managers to networking opportunities at official events, Kiwi Link Asia 2022 was the one-stop destination for all things travel related to New Zealand.

Fifteen buyers from India attended the event, which included Thomas Cook India, MakeMyTrip, Kulin Kumar Holidays, Kesari Tours, Veena World, FCM Travels and Pathfinders Holidays. The event saw Indian buyers engaging with 55 industry operators across New Zealand including Air New Zealand, Hobbiton Movie Set, Scenic Hotel Group, giving a holistic understanding of the product offerings and building deeper connections.

Elaborating on the event, Gregg Wafelbakker, General Manager – Asia, Tourism New Zealand, said, “With the New Zealand borders having opened to the rest of the world on 1 August 2022, this was the perfect time to reconnect with the Indian travel trade fraternity to showcase destination New Zealand and the ever-growing Kiwi hospitality. Kiwi Link Asia was a splendid platform that enabled key Indian buyers to reconnect with New Zealand and its wide range of offerings, thus enabling them to promote the destination better and support conversions. We are ecstatic to see the turnout this year and we are looking forward to Summer 22/ 23 and beyond as we welcome back visitors. India is one of the priority emerging markets for Tourism New Zealand and Kiwi Link Asia provided a great opportunity to strengthen our partnership with our travel trade partners in India.” Through the course of three days, Tourism New Zealand and the New Zealand industry engaged with travel sellers.