Rural Tourism Business Finalist At New Zealand Tourism Awards

“The future of rural tourism is bright”, say Will and Rose Parsons of Driftwood Eco Tours, finalists of the 2022 New Zealand Tourism Awards for community engagement.

The annual New Zealand Tourism Awards, hosted by Tourism Industry Aotearoa in Hamilton, highlights excellence in tourism and helps operators aspire to greater customer service.

Driftwood Eco Tours was delighted to be one of three finalists for the community engagement category.

Operating since 2004, Driftwood Eco Tours is based in Kaikōura, but runs small group, multi-day tours throughout the upper South Island and on offshore islands, offering guests the chance to visit and experience some of New Zealand’s most isolated rural communities.

The team of eight work in partnership with local farmers, fishers, scientists and guides to design and deliver all tours.

“Our guests range from older Kiwis, some of whom have farm experience, to younger urbanites who are curious about the hard work and beauty of rural life,” says Will, who co-owns Driftwood Eco Tours with wife Rose.

“We almost didn’t enter this year’s tourism awards,” he says. “We didn’t think we would make the finals, given we can’t afford a big staff and or the whizz bang tech of larger tourism companies. But we love people. And our guests seem to love touring with a small operator who puts people and relationships at the centre of everything we do.”

All Driftwood tours are designed to give guests the chance for an authentic, close-up and personal experience of rural life, offering real engagement at a grass roots level, says Rose.

“We’ve also designed our tours so that a portion of our profits go back to local projects as chosen by the rural people we work with,” she says.

The couple both grew up on farms and share a love of rural life, which they bring into their tourism business.

Rose grew up and worked on a family sheep and beef farm at French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds in family ownership for five generations. Will was raised at a farm in Ward in Marlborough and went on to own a merino sheep farm and cherry orchard in Marlborough.

“We love the fact our tours give our rural hosts the chance to talk candidly to guests about their day-to-day challenges, as well as the things they really enjoy about rural life. We believe our tours bridge the rural and urban divide, bring New Zealanders together and foster better understanding.”

“We see making the finals as recognition of the kind of customer service our wonderful team deliver every day. It also affirms the faith put in us by our business mentor, Rob Stanley, who owned Hurunui Horse Treks and was instrumental in putting together the Hurunui Tourism Hub in North Canterbury. He and his wife Mandy have stuck with us through thick and thin and Rob’s advice to get a proper written business structure in place has certainly helped us weather storms such as Covid 19,” says Will.

“We’d also like to thank our loyal customers who come back year after year. Because of them, we have been able to make donations to important community projects such as the Chatham Islands’ community pool.

“Finally, we’d like to thank the rural people we partner with for so generously sharing their time, hospitality and special properties to make our incredible experiences possible. We simply could not do what we do without the support and input of our rural communities. That’s why pitching for this award was so important to us.”

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