Indigenous cultures meet and greet in ground-breaking Middle East visit

Hongi revealed as common form of offering heartfelt welcome

The attendance of Māori tourism representatives at the Emirates Holiday Show and Arabian Travel Mart was the first meeting of two indigenous cultures on this scale and signals the start of a new era of marketing in what is an emerging market of significance for Aotearoa New Zealand.

The United Arab Emirates and Oman offer a lot of potential in terms of tourism traffic, from both the Arab and ex patriat communities, according to Māori Experienz Charitable Development Trust chairman Graham Hall.

Graham was one of the representatives of the national marketing collective - which has been set up to present Māori tourism, kai (food), arts and entertainment to the world - to journey to the Middle East. And he rates very highly the interest in New Zealand’s indigenous culture in that market.

“From my vast extensive knowledge of working offshore, this trip would have to rate as potentially the most successful ever undertaken for a first visit to a market,” Graham says.

“We now have agreements with the two major tour wholesalers in Dubai and the largest agency in Oman to sell Māori tourism.

“Quite frankly that’s a stunning result after just one visit to a anything quite like it in my many years of involvement in the tourism industry.”

Kai Queens’ Wiki Oman and Wendy Bennett at work in Dubai

The key objectives of the trip were to introduce Māori culture to the Middle East - particularly the travel industry in Dubai - to facilitate relationships with tour wholesalers in that region, to use Māori culture, food and wine as a drawcard to attract people to this country and to work with Tourism New Zealand to develop wider exposure of Māori performing arts.

The Māori-owned marketing collective had representatives in the Middle East for 14 days and participated in both the major travel shows in a bid to secure exposure for New Zealand’s indigenous cultural tourism.

But before that, Graham says that extensive work was required in developing the initiative with key stakeholders such as Tourism New Zealand and Emirates Airlines.

The Arab aviation concern is based in Dubai and with four flights to and from New Zealand from the Middle East each day will become one of the major players in bringing travellers to this country in future.

Graham says he expects to see Māori tourism operators beginning to see results from the Middle East from next year onward.

One favourable aspect is that those living in that region like to travel during the peak of their summers, when temperatures are at their highest.

“That’s great for New Zealand operators,” he says. “Their peak summer is our winter and getting business then will be a bonus for our operators in what is traditionally a very quiet time of the year.”

Graham has high praise for the professionalism and commitment of the performing arts group Pounamu, which supplied six members for the trip to Dubai in support of the Māori tourism, food and arts initiative.

“The Pounamu group was a showstopper,” he says. “Everywhere it performed, people were standing in awe. After every show, there was lines of people wanting to have their photographs taken with the performers.

Graham says one of the highlights of the visit was the powhiri (welcoming ceremony) which staff at the Shangri-la Hotel provided for the visiting Māori contingent.

Another was the personal visit by the owner of Emirates Airline, the second-highest ranked Sheik in Dubai. He took time out to accept the challenge put down by the Māori group.

A big media contingent was on hand to capture that ceremony, with substantial coverage for Māori tourism likely to be the result.

The Emirates Holiday Show and the Arabian Travel Mart signalled the start of a month long promotion at the Dnata Holiday Lounge, where New Zealand is being featured as the destination of choice.

Graham Hall says that as a result of the promotion, a sound foothold has now been established in the Middle East for Māori tourism.

Over coming months, the relationships forged in Dubai and Oman will be strengthened, with specific Māori tourism packages being developed and offered into that growing market.