Held in Auckland, the events brought together international media and travel buyers from around the world, providing valuable opportunities to showcase Taupō to audiences who influence where visitors choose to travel.
This year’s IMM was particularly significant as it marked the first time the event has been held in New Zealand. The Love Taupō team met with 21 international and domestic media representatives, pitching story ideas and sharing the latest developments across the region.
“Journalists are always looking for stories that feel fresh and authentic,” says Love Taupō General Manager Patrick Dault. “Usually to get that face-to-face time with international media, we’d have to travel overseas — so having them right here in New Zealand was a massive win for regions like ours.”
The team then attended TRENZ, meeting with 52 international travel buyers from key visitor markets including the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, India and Asia. Taupō also had strong regional representation at the event, with operators including Escape Aviation, Destinate NZ, Chris Jolly Outdoors and Orakei Korako attending alongside DGLT.
“These buyers play a significant role in shaping New Zealand itineraries for international visitors. Every conversation is an opportunity to reinforce why Taupō deserves a place on those travel plans,” says Patrick.
Based on historical TRENZ outcome benchmarks and Taupō’s estimated share of New Zealand’s international visitor economy, DGLT estimates the downstream tourism value influenced through TRENZ could be closer to $1.5 million over time. Against an estimated attendance investment of approximately $25,000, this represents a potential return of around 60:1, or $60 in future tourism value for every $1 invested, through future visitor bookings, itinerary inclusion, trade distribution and long-term buyer relationships.
Alongside the events, Taupō hosted three familiarisation visits, welcoming 11 international media and 12 trade representatives to the region and showcasing more than 30 local operators.
“The relationships built through IMM, TRENZ and these hosted visits help generate future media coverage, travel programmes and visitor bookings, supporting local businesses and the wider visitor economy,” says Patrick.
