Column: Let's aim for all our ducks in a row

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler was in town last week, and who better, I thought to bring you the tourism outlook?
Kevin had just one free date in the next several weeks, so it was good of him to talk to us and hear our thoughts, too.
Despite the world around us in some chaos, Kevin was pretty optimistic about tourism here. True, the Christchurch and Japanese earthquakes and the tediously enduring credit crunch have put a dampener on some wannabe travellers, but there are still good things going on for Kiwi tourism such as the boom in Chinese visitors and extra flights coming in from China and Southeast Asia. There are opportunities - we just have to make sure we get all our ducks in a row.
A key message is that we must show the world New Zealand is still open: it's business as usual. After the Canterbury earthquake, several countries posted advisories against travelling to New Zealand. Indeed, a relative in Britain was convinced my husband and I would be affected in Rotorua as "New Zealand is so small". As Kevin said, it's a matter of perception: the further afield you go, the more people tend to think all of NZ must be affected.
TNZ reacted quickly and the advisories disappeared overnight. They have begun a great campaign with photos of real tourism operators holding up signs outside their businesses proclaiming, "We're Open!"
How can Rotorua help? Well, we're already doing it by taking on some events that had to be moved from Christchurch. It may feel like profiting from misfortune, but by doing this, we are flying the flag for New Zealand saying, "No problem here!" We're keeping tourism alive and well so Christchurch tourism has something to come back to.
It was pleasing to see that TNZ's focus neatly aligns with Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing's goals and strategies announced last week, for example targeting China, Southeast Asia and Australia. The more we market to the same targets, the louder the message will get through. As Rotorua Tourism Committee chairman Tony Marks repeatedly says, "It's about focus. Do some things astonishingly well rather than try and cover the field."
As an aside, I lived through a natural disaster on a small Caribbean island, about the size of Rotorua, that depended on tourism. Ninety-five per cent of all residential and commercial buildings suffered damage, with 25 per cent having to be demolished. It was a long, hard slog, but the island came back stronger and better than ever, and the visitors flocked in. We'd better keep on top of our game, Rotorua, because when Christchurch comes back, I'm sure they'll come back hard - and we won't want all our ducks migrating south.
- Jane Hope is the media adviser for Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing