Tomahawk Tourism

26/08/2026

A huge congratulations to this year's Skift IDEA Award winner Visit Ljubljana in the Industry Innovator Tourism category, and to all of the incredible finalists for their outstanding initiatives that support tourism:

👉 Alphabet Creative: KATE HR Advisor
👉 Discover Puerto Rico: Bringing Puerto Rican culture to life during the Super Bowl
👉 Evaneos : Combining AI and Local Expertise to Redesign Tourism in Indonesia
👉 Visit Ljubljana: LUV Fest: How a DMO Turned Its Quietest Months Into Its Most Loved Festival
👉 SAUDIA AIRLINES: The Coolest Ihram
👉 Tourism Kamloops: Freeride Ain't Free
👉 WeatherPromise: Giving people confidence to travel in shoulder season

We're incredibly proud that Tomahawk's work with Tonga Tourism was also selected as a finalist for this category in a record-breaking year of entries.

The feedback from the Skift team was a real highlight:
“Our team was very impressed by your work - as evidenced by your submission battling our highest-record number of entries to become a finalist this year.”

A big shout out to the team behind this project and, most importantly, the people of Tonga who helped shape a brand that truly belongs to them.

Congratulations to all of this year's finalists. There was some exceptional work in the line-up, and we're thrilled to have been part of it.

The 2026 Skift IDEA Awards winners demonstrate that the most essential key to travel's future is to establish an innovative idea and to build it into a lever for change.

19/08/2026

Our GM Renee was at the 15th annual Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association NZ conference in Tauranga this week, and came away with plenty of ideas, inspiration and a few memorable words of wisdom. Three standout quotes that have stuck with her are pretty good reminders for all of us in business.

1. “No dickheads.”
Ian Jones from the All Blacks Experience shared this while talking about building a strong culture and a good business foundation. At its heart, it’s about respect and having the right people around you.
Sometimes you just need to put it in classic Kiwi terms!

2. “We all have two ears and one mouth.”
Tim Alpe from Lylo reminded us reminded us of the importance of listening. (Choose your audience carefully when sharing this one, maybe don't throw it out while in chats with your significant other 😂)

3. “You don’t get good before you start, you get good because you started.”
Jono & Sienna Boyce shared this while talking about social media content, and it’s a great reminder that waiting until everything is perfect is often the biggest barrier to getting started. You learn by doing, you improve by doing, and sometimes, you just have to hit publish.

Three very different quotes, but one common theme: good things happen when you build the right foundations, listen to others and actually get started.
Thanks BYATA for a great couple of days in Tauranga!

11/08/2026

📣 We’re incredibly proud to share that Tomahawk has been named a finalist in the 2026 Skift IDEA Awards in the Industry Innovators Tourism category! AND we’re the first New Zealand agency ever to achieve this recognition.

But this recognition really is about Tonga.

The Tonga Tourism brand was not created by an agency sitting in a room with a marketing department deciding what Tonga should look like, it was created by listening to the people of Tonga.

We held 15 workshops across 4 islands and brought more than 400 people into the conversation. We conducted one-on-one interviews with church elders, government officials, business owners, school and community leaders and even the Royal Princess.

What emerged was a tourism brand that is authentically Tongan.

A Pacific Island Kingdom, working with a New Zealand Tourism Agency, has created something powerful enough to stand on the global stage. And that is what makes this recognition so special.

A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who made this possible! This was a team effort and, most importantly, a Tongan story. A small Kingdom but a BIG Result!

Find out more here: https://www.tomahawk.co.nz/2026-skift-idea-awards-finalist
View all Skift Award finalists: https://skift.com/2026/08/07/2026-skift-idea-awards-meet-the-finalists/

Winner announced 26 August.



South Pacific Tourism Organisation

22/07/2026

Keen to listen to sound advice for tourism? 🎧

Our newest T-Hawk has officially joined the team...and he's AI-generated. Chip doesn't drink coffee or eat popcorn, his job is simply to help us share our tourism marketing expertise in a new way.

Chip is the voice of Sound Advice for Tourism, our new audio knowledge hub that transforms our marketing articles and guides into bite-sized audio episodes for busy tourism people who'd rather listen than read.

Chip is already proving to be a valuable team member by taking on a task no one else is keen to do, although we're still working on getting him to contribute to the snack jar!

Above the driving force behind Sound Advice is making our content more accessible through a user-friendly audio format. We're excited to bring it to life and, as always, we'll continue adding fresh content to help tourism businesses stay ahead.

🔗 Listen to Sound Advice here: https://www.tomahawk.co.nz/sound-advice-for-tourism

17/07/2026

Last night, some of the Tomahawk team got together for a mid-year catch-up with a competitive twist at the Dice and Fork Games Bar! 🎲

It was the perfect way to break up the winter months, step away from our screens, and enjoy some laughs over great food and a board game that definitely put our colour brains (and competitive streaks!) to the test.

We're big believers that strong teams are built both in and out of the office. Taking time to connect, have fun and simply relax together is an important part of building the relationships that help us collaborate, support one another, and deliver great work for our clients.

A big thank you to the team at the Dice & Fork for looking after us. With so many games to choose from, deciding what to play was almost as challenging as the game itself!

08/07/2026

Matariki reminds us that every journey begins with a story, and that taking time to reflect often helps us move forward with greater purpose.

As we celebrate the Māori New Year, we'd like to thank our incredible partners and industry friends for your trust, collaboration and support. It's a privilege to work alongside so many passionate people helping showcase their unique stories to the world.

Whether you're spending the long weekend with whānau, reflecting on personal goals, or simply taking a well-earned break, we hope you have a safe and meaningful Matariki.

From all of us at Tomahawk, Mānawatia a Matariki

11/06/2026

Is your tourism website ready for AI Search?

AI Search is already here, and so your website needs to recognise that travellers are increasingly planning their trips through tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

Given this, your website has two audiences to attract bookings:
1. Travellers looking for inspiration and information
2. AI tools looking for trusted sources to recommend

Have you considered how AI Search will impact your website strategy?

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.tomahawk.co.nz/blog/website-design-features-to-drive-bookings

02/06/2026

We're delighted to welcome Megan Fothergill to the Tomahawk team as our new Account Executive.

Megan will be supporting our clients across a range of tourism & digital marketing projects, ensuring they receive the service, insights, and results that Tomahawk is known for. It's always exciting to bring on more talented people who share our commitment to helping tourism businesses thrive.

Please join us in giving Megan a warm welcome to the Tomahawk whānau. We're thrilled to have you on board and look forward to seeing all you'll achieve with us.

28/05/2026

Great to be back in the Google office this week!

Renee spent the afternoon exploring the Google Elevate Program, diving into the growing importance of first-party data, and learning more about how tools like AI Max, Performance Max, and Demand Gen are continuing to shape the future of digital marketing. With AI in the mix, staying connected to the latest thinking and innovation is more important than ever!

Looking forward to bringing fresh insights back to the team and helping our clients make the most of the evolving Google ecosystem.