The Importance of Digital
"Mobile has dramatically altered the travel experience. From pre-trip planning to in-flight and on-property services to context and location-aware destination information, mobile devices promise to transform every phase in the travel process, putting vital information - and new marketing opportunities - within hand's reach." (Noah Elkin, eMarketer Principal Analyst)
"An integrated, comprehensive approach will serve brands best. The more flexibly brands can offer to help customers manage their travel - using a mobile-optimised website, apps and integration between mobile, online and offline channels - the more effective they will be. Mobile travellers are demanding and expect suppliers to get it right the first time."
IPhone & Ipad Stats & Facts
- In June 2010 iPhone held 40.3% (up 500%) of the mobile market with predictions that it would become the market leader by the end of the year.
- 50% of all non-computer web access is derived from the iphone, 26% from the ipad (comScore May 2011)
- The iPad is the dominant tablet device across the globe, contributing more than 89% of traffic (approx. 98% of the Australian market)
- 3,000,000 iPads were sold in 80 days when first released in June 2010 with 250,000 sold in Australia by October 2010
- As of July 2011 there were 500,000 iPhone apps available in the app store with 15 billion+ down loads to date and 100,000 iPad apps.
- A recent Australian survey showed that 41% of respondents had installed a mobile application. Of those 50% had downloaded 5 or fewer apps, 30% between 6 and 20 and 20% more than 20.
HVWCT Mobile Phone Access
Smartphone Usage and Habits (Google “Mobile Movement” US study)
- 89% of the people surveyed indicated that they used the Smartphone for their daily live activities.
- 81% of users browse the Internet, 77% search, 68% use an app, and 48% watch videos on their Smartphone
- 72% use their Smartphone while consuming other media
- 93% of Smartphone owners use their Smartphone’s while at home
- 95% of Smartphone users have looked for local information and 88% of these users take action within a day, indicating these are immediate information needs
- 71% search on their phones after an ad exposure
- 19% of all hotel queries in search are being conducted on mobile devices, supporting the idea that mobile is now more important than ever in travel marketing.
- When travelling searching for local details is carried out by almost all smartphone users (95%), but most interestingly 88% of those searching for local information “take action” within a day, presumably to visit a website or an actual venue.
- Furthermore, 77% have conducted a business after using mobile search for local information, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the premises of a local business.
Mobile and Travel
As far as mobile travel content is concerned a global survey of 1700 people carried out by Frommer’s, revealed the top six types of mobile travel content that consumers want when on holiday.
The most important function is seeing points of interest like attractions, restaurants and shops on a map (57%), followed by key phrases in local languages (55%), local offers (51%), itineraries and walking tours (50%), local etiquette and customs (49%) and tipping and currency converters (45%).
Nearly a third of smartphone users will research travel plans via mobile this year.
“Smart device apps and mobile-optimized websites are changing the way people travel, from trip planning to boarding an airplane to how they experience destinations. This means new and richer opportunities for marketers to connect with consumers before, during and after their trips.” (eMarketer)
Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism Website Update
In the month of July we recorded the following results for the website:
- New visits are up by 19% on same period last year
- Website visits are up 10% on same period last year with 45,424 visits
- Direct traffic to the site is up 65% compared to last year.
This means people that directly type our url into the browser. This is an indication that our marketing campaign efforts to build awareness for our website are working. These results are slightly skewed due to the launch of the new website and members directly typing in the address.
- Traffic from search engines is up 7.5%
Referrals to the site via the search term ‘Hunter Valley Accommodation’ is up 34%. Again, this could be attributed to the marketing campaign converting people to visit the Hunter Valley and is also an direct effect of our improved search rankings on Google. We are now consistently listing as a top 3 site under these search terms, up by 4 spaces.
- Bookings through the website compared to last year are up 48% in the number of bookings and 52% in dollar value. 139 bookings worth $55,516 were made online. This business was not cannibalized business from our normal VIC bookings but represent additional business gained. This means more $$$ are flowing back into our marketing budget.
The new website is a constant work in progress & you will notice changes occurring on a daily basis, and we appreciate your patience with the changes that are occurring.
Here are some important points to note regarding the new website:
- All Accommodation & Tour operators can now make change in BookEasy which will then be reflected on the website (as was with the previous website, with the exception of the order of images for the moment). The update takes approximately 1 hour from BookEasy to the new site. If you require your BookEasy login, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Naomi.
- For Restaurant, Winery, Service, Weddings & Attractions members, the login on the website is disabled for the moment as we are working to rebuild this part of the site, so you are unable to login as you previously did on the website. If you wish to make any changes to your listing, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Naomi.
- You may notice that your images may have changed in look; this is due to the size. The size of your image for the new website needs to be 392w x 252h pixels for optimum results. Any other size will possibly create distortion. If you wish to change your images, please change them to this size & forward them on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to Naomi.
An email will be sent to all members regarding the website in the coming weeks which will update you on the progress & provide you a username &password for the new site. If you have any questions regarding the website in the meantime, please feel free to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Hunter Valley’s enviable heritage of trailblazing viticulturists, winemaking dynasties and iconic wines, is where great Australian grape growing and winemaking all began. The valley’s first small vineyard plots of about 20 acres were planted on the Northern banks of the Hunter River trade route in the early 1820’s. Australia’s first families of wine soon branched out into the surrounding hill country with more than 500 acres of vines and by the roaring ‘20s, had become the bastion of premium wine production.
James Busby, introduced to the Hunter region around 500 vine cuttings sourced from collections and private plantings in South America and Europe, including several cuttings of Syrah from the Hermitage hill in the Rhône region of South France. Upon his initial arrival in the Colony, Busby was accompanied by his sister, Catherine, who later wed William Kelman—a fellow passenger. They became pioneers, securing one of the earliest official land grants at Kirkton on the Hunter River, near present-day Morpeth.
By 1840, the registered vineyard area in the Hunter Valley had expanded to over 500 acres.
Dr. Henry Lindeman emigrated to Australia and quickly earned a reputation for making exceptional wines. He was joined by four prominent wine families, namely the Drayton's, Tulloch's, Tyrrell's, and Wilkinson's, who together helped establish vineyards in the region through the mid to late 1800’s.
By the year 1930, the collective efforts of these pioneering wine families, coupled with the contributions of a young Maurice O'Shea, had propelled the Pokolbin area in the Hunter Valley into the spotlight for crafting high-quality table wines. This revolution in wine styles stemmed from new vineyard plantings such as the Tyrrell's HVD Chardonnay vineyard followed by the Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon Vineyard. This recognition was particularly noteworthy in a time when fortified wines held widespread popularity.
Nearly 200 years down that winding country road and the pioneering spirit of Hunter Valley Wine Country lives on in an unrivalled class of skilled viticulturists and their winemaking counterparts who are unafraid of pushing boundaries to achieve distinctive wines that are rich in character and regional authenticity, vintage after vintage.
To this day, a handful of Hunter Valley estates are privileged to still produce sublime wines from 11 historic blocks of the original plantings, on ancient European root stocks that came over with the First Fleet. These vineyards are all the more rare for having remained unscathed by an outbreak of phylloxera in the late 1800’s which decimated 70% of Europe’s vineyards, making the vines some of the oldest in the world. You can get your hands on coveted, old vine Hunter Valley Shiraz, Semillon and Chardonnay wines, straight from the source, at Drayton’s Wines, Mount Pleasant, Poole’s Rock and Tyrrell’s.
The more you discover about Hunter Valley wine, the more you’ll appreciate our torchbearers’ legacy of great Australian winemaking, in every satisfying glass of Hunter Valley wine.
Hunter Valley History
| 30,000 | Wonnarua ‘people of the hills and plains’ were the first inhabitants of the (Coquun) Hunter Valley. |
| 1797 | The first sighting of the Hunter River by European settlers, discovered by chance by Lieutenant John Shortland. |
| 1820 | First overland route to the Hunter, discovered by John Howe. A road-way was constructed along the path from Windsor to Singleton in 1823, now known as the Putty Road. With the arrival of free settlers agricultural and pastoral activities rapidly grew to rank with timber and mining in economic importance and it was at this point that wine grapes were first introduced to the Hunter Valley. |
| 1823 | By 1823 some 20 acres of vineyards had already been planted.
The early pioneers of the Hunter Valley’s long winemaking history were George Wyndham of Dalwood, William Kelman at Kirkton and James King of Irrawang. The Hunter Valley’s future was further assisted by the arrival of amateur viticulturalist James Busby, who arrived back in the Hunter Valley from Europe with some 500 vine cuttings. |
| 1826 – 1836 | The first road was built by convicts between 1826 & 1836 with many of the original-built features still visible when travelling along Tourist Route 33 to Wollombi. This project was recognised as the single most significant civil engineering project in the first century of the colony’s history. |
| 1840 |
By 1840 the Hunter Valley’s registered vineyard area exceeded 500 acres.
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| Late 19th Century | From these beginnings, the Hunter Valley flourished, with several families establishing vineyards in the area. The Tyrrell, Wilkinson and Drayton families’ history all started in the latter part of the 19th Century as did the viticultural pursuits of Dr Henry Lindeman. |
| 1930 | A number of qualified winemakers enhanced the Hunter Valley’s reputation in Sydney and Melbourne, led by the famous Maurice O’Shea of Mount Pleasant, the father of Australian table wine. At Lindeman’s Ben Ean winery, two pioneer winemakers helped establish the reputation of the Hunter Valley, Hans Mollenhauer and Karl Stockhausen. |
| Late 1930's | The late 1930's saw a decline in vineyard activity due to the depression and war along with the public’s general preferences for fortified wines, produced more cheaply in other vineyard areas. Some winemakers, such as Maurice O’Shea and the Tyrrells pursued their passion for fine table wine ensuring the Hunter Valley wines were not forgotten. |
| 1950 & 60's | It was at this time that the market saw a change, with fine dry table wines gaining popularity and the wine industry once again flourishing. |
| 1963 | Dr Max Lake established Lake’s Folly, the first new vineyard planted in the nineteen hundreds, marking the beginning of a great flurry of development. A proliferation of boutique wineries ensued which is still characterising the Hunter Valley today. |
| 1974 |
The first accommodation property was established in the Hunter Valley. With some of the most spectacular views in the Hunter Valley; Elfin Hill is still in operation today.
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| Present | Today the Hunter Valley is one of the Australia’s most well-known wine regions in Australia and throughout the world. The Hunter Valley has produced many fine, world recognised wines and with over 150 wineries, 65 restaurants and 180 accommodation properties, the Hunter Valley has become a tourism mecca for food and wine lovers alike. |
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