Kia ora Paul Button here,

Like you, the last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for us. Every week seems like an emotional roller coaster, but now and then you get a glimmer of hope that keeps everyone excited. This may come as a 10% boost in sales, a new tour group visiting, or a booking from a trade partner.

Last week we received not only a glimmer of hope but a bolt of lightning! I was watching the Black Caps pick apart the Indian cricket team on the final day of the world test championship when I received an email from TripAdvisor. I opened it and read, “congratulations, you have been named the #1 Nature Activity in the World”….. I didn’t know if I should believe it but my heart started to race. As it began to sink in, I became emotional about what this accolade would mean for everyone involved. For the team, for the previous employees, and for me as the leader of Canopy Tours.For the previous employees, I thought about every interaction they’ve had with our previous guests and the impact that they’ve made. As well as the customer-centric culture they created to always delivering a great experience. For the Directors who first created the vision to deliver the most engaging zipline product in the world, and restore our ancient forest to pre-human existence. To the current team, who have been on this crazy Covid-19 journey, but have stayed focused on the visitor experience through the last 18 months of uncertainty.

Once I shared the news with the team, they were ecstatic, it meant more to them than I first realised. The following evening we gathered past and present employees to get together and celebrate, to share stories and talk about what the award meant to them. For myself, as a leader, my passion is in the visitor experience. That’s what attracted me to Canopy Tours back in 2017. That moment when I opened the email, I knew our long-term strategy had paid off, our once seemingly unreachable goals, have been achieved, and we are #1 in the world!

Photo: Paul Button – Rotorua Canopy Tours General Manager.

I will not remember last Thursday night for the famous Black Caps victory. But for our famous victory, our bolt of lightning in an uncertain time. This inspired our team to keep working through the uncertainty of the pandemic, with enthusiasm and determination.

Hang in there, you’ve done it tough and you never know when your bolt of lightning will appear. Thank you for your support, we look forward to hosting your guests soon enough with our world-class visitor experience.

Cheers,

Paul Button

General Manager