CreateTrips is the latest Nordic hi-tech company to go Kiwi

CreateTrips is the latest Nordic hi-tech company to go Kiwi

CreateTrips, a Finnish startup company, launches its social travel application in New Zealand in December - joining its countrymen Rovio and Grand Cru who are also using New Zealand for piloting purposes. Rovio, of course, is the company which gave us the Angry Birds - and Grand Cru just popped on the radars of the industry experts as it secured hefty venture capitalist funding.

Seeking to duplicate their success, CreateTrips has arrived on the shores of New Zealand with big hopes for global domination. But first things first: why are the Finns all flocking to New Zealand, which is as far removed from Finland as you can get?

Juha-Petteri Kukkonen, the founder of CreateTrips, says that New Zealand is a very attractive testbed and market in the eyes of game and application developers.

"New Zealand is clearly a forerunner in the use of social media - and the iPhone penetration in the country is high," says Kukkonen. CreateTrips is a free (in-app purchases available) application available at App Store.

According to Nielsen research, New Zealanders spend more time on social media networks than any other country in the world, hitting social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter with impressive regularity.

Kukkonen believes that the high iPhone penetration alone suggests that the natives are inquisitive and like to try out new things:

"We are aiming for a demographic that loves to travel and enjoys a steady diet of social media," Kukkonen says, adding that it doesn't exactly hurt that the Kiwis speak English, either: there is no need for additional language versions here.

CreateTrips - the app - is a combined travel guide, social trip planner and offline map which is supposed to "change the way people view travel". Following the New Zealand launch, CreateTrips app will go global early next year. Kukkonen is confident that the Pacific pilot - as well as the following global push - will proceed well.

"Social media in not exactly news to anyone - we feel that it's high time that travel goes social, too."

CreateTrips is a social trip planner for the smart traveller. Discover amazing places around the world with us. Photos for the story are available at http://www.createtrips.com/media.

ENDS

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