Long-time local guiding company Fiordland Trips & Tramps this week won the Innovation for Visitor Experience award at the Tourism Export Council NZ Achievement Awards held in Nelson. 

The award was designed to recognise outstanding efforts in innovation in tourism over the past two years in response to the Covi-19 pandemic. 

Trips & Tramps were awarded this honour for their Great Walk Package which features guided day hikes on the Milford, Routeburn and Kepler Tracks over three days.

Owners and Te Anau locals Steve and Kate Norris had been mostly reliant on international visitors taking guided day trips into Piopiotahi Milford Sound before the pandemic. 

When Covid-19 struck and the borders closed some smart thinking was required to entice domestic travellers to the area. 

Steve says: "The Great Walks Package not only met the desire of Kiwis to go hiking in their own backyard, but it provided overflow of business to other operators, accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes in Te Anau as people would be staying in Te Anau for at least four nights. 

"We included water taxis, cruise companies, bakeries, helicopter operators and hotels in this package, and of course the people had to eat in the evenings, so it was a massive win for the community, keeping people in work and helping other businesses keep their doors open at a time we were all really hurting."

Steve Norris 

Lynda Keene, Chief Executive of the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand said Fiordland Trips and Tramps is a deserving winner.

"There were some truly amazing entries in this category," she says. "The story behind Fiordland Trips and Tramps to pivot their visitor offerings for international visitors and switch and adapt something new domestic visitors resonated with the Board and obviously industry peers."