This month the team at the Hokitika isite Visitor Information Centre are giving us an insight into what it is like to be part of the team offering visitor information services.
Manager Lucretia Maitland and her staff Kaytee Wright, Lisa Ford, Sharon Knightbridge and Sharon Thompson are enjoying a busy summer season with many people visiting the isite to find out what Westland and the wider country have to offer.
A typical day in the Hokitika isite Visitor Information Centre varies hugely from season to season. However, we do have some standard daily activities: Doors get flung open, flags go up, and we do a quick tidy. Next up we check the emails and voicemails. Customers and visitors are always our priority, so messages are returned as soon as we can. Some of the team will jump into some marketing, with others restocking brochures, and ensuring all marketing slots are looking tidy. Someone will confirm any “referrals”, which are when a customer is booked in for an activity (such as a glacier Heli Hike) but not paid, in case of weather cancellation. Some of the team may head out to meet with operators, especially in the quieter season. The AA counter is often steady throughout the day, with people sitting their learner licence, getting road user charges, overseas licence conversions, as well as licence plates and a variety of other offerings. This can be a very busy corner, and we are happy to see locals coming in to use this service.
The types of enquiries or issues that we receive is very varied. We deal with all sorts; typical questions are about the Hokitika Gorge and Glacier Country. They are the most marketed products, which is a real driver for visitors to the region. From here we get to tease out other activities, accommodation and food offerings for them, to encourage them to spend time in our excellent retail shops in town and realise we have just about everything you could imagine.
A common misconception is that we just provide advice. We have a combination of offerings in the isite, with our AA counter and a dry-cleaning service, as well as our booking services. We can also make bookings across the country for most things, and in the not too far future we will be able to book overseas excursions, including accommodation, travel, and activities. These booking services are beneficial to domestic operators because our commission rate for bookings allows them to retain more of their profit, compared to the likes of booking.com and other large web-based sites.
The challenges of working in the isite are seasonally dependent. Mother nature can cause disruption for our visitors, and we are the front line for welfare in cases of road closures, bad weather warnings, and other similar events. As a visitor service centre we will help by redirecting these people to potentially switch their travel plans, alternating on either side of the island. We are very aware that these disruptions are extremely difficult for our local travel operators and can affect their revenue, so we try to ensure visitors will come back and experience what Westland has to offer.
We have really seen an increase not only of foot traffic coming into the isite but also enquiries about the wider West Coast. Marketing through social media has become the core advertising for us, which has had a flow on effect with enquiries. The team has been lucky enough to go out with operators in the region, understanding their businesses, learning about their activities – such as helicopter flights, kayaking, greenstone tours.
The favourite part of our job is showcasing Westland as a region. We have so much to offer, and once we have finished helping the customer, we find they wish they had booked more time in the region. It is such a pleasure for us to be able to ensure visitors to New Zealand have a safe, and enjoyable experience while they are here, and support our local community economy.
This all revolves around people. Not only our local community but also our visitors, we enjoy each person we deal with daily and love the challenges. This is why our team decided to pursue a career in tourism. People are the core focus for us as a community, and a region. We have something so special to offer here, with not only our location, but also our communities. We are a growing region, and have continued to rebuild post covid, and with tourism being one of our country's biggest earners, it is an opportunity to showcase Westland and the West Coast to the world. If people leave here with good memories, that itself brings more people back to the area.
To support our staff to offer the best visitor services, as part of isiteNZ there are requirements we must meet. Currently the training, provided by isiteNZ, involves an eight-podcast series, that are specific to isiteNZ, and where the direction is headed as an industry. From these, staff are required to do the 100% Pure New Zealand Training, which are short modules on New Zealand's tourism offering. At the Hokitika isite, we encourage our staff to do a level 3 Tourism New Zealand Certificate. From here there are other options – all provided by Tourism New Zealand.
If someone is considering a career in tourism, we’d say take the leap! It is a different industry, but you get to meet people of all diverse cultures. Most importantly, it allows you the opportunity to help contribute to the local economy. Here in Westland, we have a passion for where we live. That includes you, the people, your businesses, and the environment. If you are passionate about where you are it certainly is a fantastic step.
Come in! Come in and see us, meet the team, and see how we operate. We have an opportunity to really support the local economy, and we need our community behind us to do that. Our door is open 7 days a week (minus Christmas day), and we love to help. Even if you just need advice that is what we are here for. We have a core intention of driving people into locals' businesses, to support you and your families.