Wellington Mobile Guide Named Finalist in 'The Onyas'

Wellington’s mobile guide has been named as a finalist in The Onyas web awards.

Believed to be an Australasian first in regional destination marketing, m.WellingtonNZ.com was launched by Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) in February, along with a bespoke mobile site for the NZI Sevens. The two sites have to date had combined visitation of over 17,000 and almost 70,000 page views.

Developed for PWT by Modica Group, the Wellington site is a finalist in the Best Mobile Web Site or Mobile Application category of The Onyas, along with Kiwibank’s Mobile Internet Banking.


In tourism it’s vital to have information in front of your audience when and where they want it, and the Wellington mobile guide is fantastic for that, Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks says.

“By having an interactive and functional mobile guide, we have up-to-date information sitting in the handbags, pockets or palms of the majority of our visitors.”

The mobile guide features simpler navigation and graphics than the WellingtonNZ.com website, which now has some 1.2 million visits per year.

Modica Group Creative Director Lindsay Cast says users are viewing on average four pages on the Wellington mobile guide per visit, and a number of them are repeat visitors.

“This tells us the design is effective for the medium and the information is relevant.”

As well as providing up-to-date information on what to do and what’s on today and tomorrow, the guide is designed to interact with audiences. Recent examples include a text competition around the Formula One™ exhibition at Te Papa and a guide to the Montana WearableArt™ Wander.

The mobile site was the first major project carried out by PWT’s then new Online Marketing Team, which was set up after Wellington City Council dedicated new funding for digital marketing. Winners of The Onyas – ‘awards by the industry for the industry’ - will be announced at a ceremony on 19 February 2010.