Maverick Digital has been named as one of the preferred suppliers to work alongside Qualmark in supporting tourism operators increase digital capability.

The initiative focuses on enhancing the digital literacy of New Zealand tourism businesses with a view to having a sustainable, long-standing impact on the sector. The activity will be run under the successful tourism recovery package.

Qualmark General Manager Gregg Anderson says “The Tourism Transitions Programme has been a lifeline for many tourism businesses as they’ve navigated the impacts of COVID-19 and refocussed on the domestic market.

“Nearly 900 operators across New Zealand have already taken up the assistance on offer already. The new digital capability programme will build on that support and enable businesses to develop crucial digital strategies, skills and access digital tools.”

Maverick founder and Head of Strategy Alex Dykman says the programme has the potential to be a long-term game changer for tourism businesses of shapes and sizes.

“With our borders closed, operators who have been relying on traditional mechanisms to drive demand find themselves looking to the digital ecosystem as their best bet to create demand and drive direct bookings from the domestic traveller.

“We’ve always been passionate advocates for digital enablement among tourism operators, and it’s exciting to be working with Qualmark to help empower operators in such a high-impact way.”

The programme has been broken into three parts to enable operators to grasp the key concepts of digital marketing for tourism in a step-by-step way.

Part one of digital capability involves a series of small group workshops and webinars, which feature key digital concepts that are highly relevant to the economic conditions the industry is facing right now.

Part two is an individual targeted approach, where the operator participates in multiple one-on-one sessions where they access bespoke, tailored advice relevant to their specific business situation.

Following that is implementation, where operators have the option to receive further assistance with implementing their newly developed digital strategy in a best practice way that gives them the best chance of success.

Based in Albany, Maverick began in 2014 and is a specialist digital agency that only works with the tourism industry. Clients include tourism operators of all shapes and sizes as well as RTO’s like Tourism Bay of Plenty, Destination Kaikoura, Enterprise Dunedin and Tairāwhiti Gisborne. The agency is known for their high-impact digital capability workshops that have been run throughout New Zealand.

The programme is free of charge and is open to tourism operators of all types throughout New Zealand – you do not have to be a Qualmark member to participate. Four other suppliers will be involved in the roll-out of this programme.

Sign up via this page on the Qualmark website.