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In this video you’ll hear from Lilly Douglas, Tourism New Zealand’s trade executive UK and Europe.

Video transcript 

With Tourism New Zealand’s trade executive UK and Europe Lilly Douglas and TTG Media’s Charlotte Cullinan. 

Charlotte: Welcome to our In the Spotlight video with Tourism New Zealand. Now, Lilly, I know you have some exciting news to share about your e-learning platform. Tell us everything that agents need to know.

Lilly: Kia ora Charlotte, we absolutely do. We’ve been beavering away at a special little project over the last couple of months and we’re super excited to finally announce the launch of our 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist programme. So this is our e-learning platform where agents can learn all the foundational knowledge about New Zealand so they’re ready to sell the destination. They’re also going to be able to promote themselves as a New Zealand specialist too, which is really cool. So the programme has been around for a number of years, but she’s had a complete makeover. So it’s now easier than ever to become a specialist.

Charlotte: Oh, fantastic. And tell us about some of the exciting new features.

Lilly: Yeah, of course. Where do I start, firstly, our new specialist programme has been developed using micro learning techniques. All the modules are bite-sized, so they’re only going to take about three to seven minutes to complete. We know that travel sellers are really busy and they need to be focused on their clients or converting new bookings, so we wanted to make sure that our training was efficient, and the new programme definitely delivers on that.

Another big change is that we’ve simplified the tier structure. So you used to have bronze, silver, gold, but now there are just two easy tiers, so a graduate specialist and an advanced specialist. So to become a graduate specialist, all you need to do is complete eight of the foundational courses and then to upgrade to advanced, you need to do a further four of the micro courses and also show evidence that you’ve been to New Zealand.

So for travel sellers who have been selling New Zealand for a while and are familiar with the destination, you can actually do a test to bypass those modules as well. So we’ve really tried to make this programme work hard, both for our experienced agents, but also for those who are new to selling New Zealand.

Charlotte: Wonderful. Thank you. And for agents who haven’t ever trained with you before, tell us why they’re going to find it really useful.

Lilly: Yeah, of course, firstly, modular content has been built by insights, so all of the topics are really relevant and aim to arm agents with the foundational knowledge that they need as a base for New Zealand.

So we know that you’re not going to probably sell New Zealand every day, but it’s still really important to be ready for when that high yield inquiry comes through. And ultimately, you’re going to have a grasp on how to answer all those common questions that your clients might have about holiday in New Zealand.

And as you build that foundational knowledge up, there are also advanced courses to help you further deepen your destination knowledge as well. So you’re going to feel super prepared to sell New Zealand, even if you haven’t before. But for me, the most exciting part about the new programme is if you become a New Zealand specialist, you get access to our Explore New Zealand programme.

And that unlocks over 400 exclusive discounts to trade-ready product across New Zealand. So this is a perfect tool to build your own bucket list trip to New Zealand at a fraction of the price and see the right product that you’re going to come back and sell when you return home.

Charlotte: Wonderful. Thank you. And very importantly, tell us how agents can sign up and complete the modules.

Lilly: Yes. And it’s a super easy one. All you need to do is go to our website, traveltrade.newzealand.com. and you’ll find a link to our specialist programme there. It only takes a couple of minutes to register and you’ll be ready to start your modules and become a specialist in no time.

So that was traveltrade.newzealand.com.

Charlotte: Brilliant. Thank you. And finally, tell us about the prize that you’re giving away to agents who have watched this video.

Lilly: Yes, so New Zealand is known for its delicious wine. Many listeners have probably enjoyed a lovely glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which is readily available here in the UK.

So we wanted to give away a case of New Zealand wine to one of you listening in. All you have to do is sign up to the 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist programme, have a go at some of the modules and answer our question correctly in the form. So we’d love for you to test out the modules and see for yourself how easy it is to become an expert on all things New Zealand. So you’ll be ready to convert more New Zealand bookings quickly.

Charlotte: Brilliant. Thank you, Lilly. It sounds like a really fantastic training programme. And thank you for watching our In the Spotlight video with Tourism New Zealand.