Hawaii-based Outrigger Hotels and Resorts will hold the last of its four Australian roadshows tonight in Melbourne as the brand signalled a renewed push to target the local market.
The Outrigger Showcase has already visited Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney and will finish up in the Victorian capital on the last leg of its eastern seaboard mission.
It is the first time Outrigger has brought the roadshows to Australia, a move which reflects the strength of the Australian outbound market, the company said.
Senior Outrigger executives and sales staff from Hawaii, Thailand, Bali and Fiji joined Australian counterparts in briefing more than 400 agents and wholesalers on its portfolio and brands and properties.
The culmination of the events came as Hawaii Tourism revealed that 253,410 Australians visited the islands last year, a rise of 34% on 2011.
"With Outrigger resorts located in some of the most popular destinations for Australian travel it made sense for us to gather its sales teams from Hawaii, Thailand, Asia and Fiji to meet with the Australian travel trade and share the Outrigger story," said Pieter van der Hoeven, vice president sales and marketing Asia Pacific.
Director of public relations Nancy Daniels said the rapid growth of arrivals from Australia to Hawaii, driven partly by the strength of the dollar, underlined the importance of the market.
She said the showcase was likely to be staged in Australia every two years.
Executives used the showcase to raise awareness of its online training program – Outrigger Hospitality Specialist Learning Centre.
"We are going to start aggressively promoting it in Australia," Daniels said. "We have a strong brand and want to capitalise on that."
A new Asia Pacific to Australia module has been launched with agents who complete the course receiving 50 Specialist Reward Points.
Other benefits of becoming an Outrigger Hospitality Specialist include a $50 voucher for consultants booking five nights or more at the 16 condominium properties in Hawaii. Agents can also earn free nights on selected bookings.
