Greater Hunter to draw more business travellers on reward trips with Altogether Perfect showcasing region at major expo

Companies around the world could soon be rewarding more top-performing staff with trips to the dolphin-filled waters of Port Stephens, the Hunter Valley vineyards and the beaches and bars of Newcastle, with the Altogether Perfect marketing group showcasing the three regions at a major business events expo in Adelaide this month.

This is the first time Altogether Perfect has exhibited at Tourism Australia’s biennial business events show, ‘Dreamtime’, which was held in the South Australian capital from December 6-9, 2015.

Launched in 2014 to lure more business travellers to Newcastle, Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley, Altogether Perfect visited the Adelaide show to target the booming and high-yield incentives market which sees companies rewarding its best employees with all expenses-paid group holidays.

Altogether Perfect spokesperson, Rebecca Morley, said her group had met with influential business event and incentive decision makers from around the world in Adelaide, with the event drawing industry buyers from key markets such as China, New Zealand, UK, Singapore, North America, Indonesia, India and Japan.

“Dolphin cruises and sand dune adventures in Port Stephens, gourmet vineyard experiences in the Hunter Valley and beach and lifestyle stays in Newcastle already attract rewarded employees from Australia and around the world as part of bonus holidays they receive but we want to significantly increase our appeal in this lucrative market which is why we are exhibiting our exciting products at Dreamtime in Adelaide,” said Ms Morley, who is also Meetings, Incentive, Conference and Events (MICE) Manager for Destination Port Stephens.

“Together, Newcastle –Australia’s seventh largest city with a major gateway airport, the famous Hunter valley and beautiful Port Stephens offer an unmatched and complementary mix of city, country and coast experiences to the corporate travel market which is proving a winner for our region as a whole,” she said. “Figures from Destination NSW show the number of nights spent by domestic and international business travellers in the Hunter region in the year ending June 2015 was 59 per cent up on the figure for the previous year.”

Launched in 2014, the ‘Altogether Perfect’ campaign is the name for the collaborative marketing efforts undertaken by regional partners in the Hunter Region to attract and secure business events tourism. Backed by Newcastle Convention Bureau, Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association and Destination Port Stephens and supported by dynamic industry operators, the joint marketing group attends trade fairs and sales missions and host visits to the region by key conference organisers and media to build the appeal of the Hunter region as THE number one business tourism destination. The campaign received funding through the Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) which is managed and administered by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia