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Making visitors welcome

Research tells us the New Zealand landscape is the number one reason visitors want to come to our country, but when they leave it’s the people and the welcome they receive that’s the strongest impression they take away. By making an effort to provide excellent hosting, we all benefit.

Encourage your staff to remember they are acting as ambassadors for your business, for Northland and for New Zealand.

Show your pride in Northland / Te Taitokerau

There is no better way of experiencing a new country than getting recommendations and stories from the local people. And those of us lucky to be living in Northland know why we chose to make it our home.

Perhaps it’s the beaches, native bush and wildlife, or maybe it’s the people, culture and arts scene. Whatever the reason you love living in Northland, RWC 2011 is the perfect opportunity to share some of these inside secrets with our visitors.

If you need a little more information about Northland, help is at hand. Visit our regional tourism website to familiarise yourself with some of our region's attractions and activities: www.northlandnz.com  Remember, we were New Zealand's first land and are steeped in history too, so do some exploring on Te Ara - the encyclopedia of New Zealand: www.teara.govt.nz/en/northland

Things visitors might ask

You can expect visitors to ask you about more than just the products and services you have on offer. It’s probably what we would do when we visit foreign countries - ask local people general questions about the place.

These are some of the questions you could expect tourists to ask. Why not give some thought to how you and your team would answer?

{content_image_alt} Recommend good local places to eat out.

  • Please can you recommend a good cafe/restaurant/bar/beach?
  • Where can I go to eat some real New Zealand food?
  • Where can I get good quality souvenirs?
  • Where can I go to I learn more about Māori culture?
  • Do you know of any interesting tourist attractions nearby?
  • How do I get to the city/airport/ferry/bus stop? 
  • Where can I exchange my money to New Zealand dollars?
  • Where do the locals go for a drink/to eat?
  • How can I get to the match?

With friendly assistance, these visitors will spread a good word about your business, and Northland.

You’ll find more information about Northland and to help visitors on the official Northland tourism website: www.northlandnz.com

For most overseas visitors, Māori culture is a strong point of interest. There are a number of resources available online including:

Customer service tips

Here are some important things for you and your staff to bear in mind when you're dealing with visitors from overseas. Why not print out these pointers for your staffroom?

  • Be aware of cultural differences. Other cultures behave differently to ours and sometimes it’s possible to cause offence without realising it.
  • It’s important to be flexible and aware of other people’s needs.
  • Be aware of possible language issues. People from France, Japan, Argentina and Italy are likely to be here in large numbers.
  • When dealing with someone with limited English, speak slowly and clearly (don’t raise your voice). Use simple words and phrases, and avoid slang.
  • Be proud of Northland and its wonderful attributes such as our stunning 3,200kms of coastline, the wild west coast and pohutukawa-fringed east coast beaches, our 17 tranquil harbours, secluded beaches, abundance of seafood, majestic Kauri forests, significant heritage and cutlural sites like Cape Rēinga, Waitangi, Russell, the Stone Store and Tane Mahuta. It might be familiar to us, but to our visitors, it is new, fresh and exciting!
  • Be a source of knowledge. People love getting local knowledge so tell them about your favourite Northland places to relax, eat, socialise, walk, run or have an adventure.
  • If possible, stock produce from the nations our visitors come from – there is nothing like getting a little taste of home when you are travelling.
  • When doing business with Japanese or Korean people, treat business cards with respect. In their cultures, a business card is an extension of the person presenting it. Receive it with two hands, read it and keep it in front of you. At the end of your meeting, put it in your business card holder and place it in your bag or top pocket, not in your back trouser pocket where you will sit on it. Don't write on it or staple it to a notebook in front of them.
  • Trans-Tasman rivalry is a long-standing tradition for Australians and New Zealanders. But remember, Australians in New Zealand are here as our guests and we need to make sure they take home a strong positive impression that drives repeat visits.
  • Be nice and welcoming to everyone. We want visitors to have such a fantastic experience in New Zealand that they come back and stay longer, spend more, and tell all their friends to do the same.

Visitor safety

New Zealand is generally very safe compared to the rest of the world, but there are always those who will take advantage of a large crowd of tourists during a large event.

Your staff can remind visitors to use their common sense – take their valuables with them, not flaunt money or expensive items such as cameras and jewellery, lock vehicles, and report anything suspicious they may see. Remind them of our national emergency line 111 if they require assistance or need to report a crime.

Opening hours

{content_image_alt} Look at extending your opening hours during the Tournament. Consider your customers over the time of Rugby World Cup 2011 and how their preferences differ from our own.

It could mean reviewing your opening hours. For example, you might have a chef on two hours later than usual, as Europeans tend to dine later. Or could you keep later shop hours for those browsing the streets on their evening stroll? Remember to apply to your relevant local district council (Far North, Kaipara or Whangarei) for any permits or special licences you might require.

Think about how your business can make a visitor’s experience a little more special, and how you and your staff can deal with these opportunities.

Basic language greetings

Visitors to our shores will come from all parts of the globe. Fluency in another language is tricky, but why not learn some of the basic phrases below to add to our visitors’ sense of welcome? 

English hello / good day goodbye thank you
Afrikaans (spoken by some South Africans) hallo / goeie dag totsiens dankie
Fijian bula ni sa moce (mothey) vinaka
French bonjour (day) / bonsoir (night) au revoir merci
German guten tag auf wiedersehen danke
Italian  buon giorno (bwon jor-noh)  ciao (chow) grazie
Japanese konnichiwa (day) / konbanwa (evening) sayonara arigatou
Russian privet paka spasibo
Samoan tālofa tofa fa’afetai
Spanish (spoken by Argentinians) hola adiós gracias
Tongan máló-é-lelei alu á málóaupito


 

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