Short answer: Send a New Zealand DMC one new email per group with a clear subject line, and put the whole brief in it: travel dates and date flexibility, the number of travellers split into adults and children, rooms by type, hotel category, the places to cover, how the group will travel, meals, guides and language, and the services you need. A complete brief gets an accurate quotation in one round; a one-line request gets questions back.
A group quotation in New Zealand is built from scratch. There is no standard price for "20 people, 10 days": the hotels, the coach and the guide are costed for your dates and your group, and the per-head rate changes with the group size, the season and the routing. This checklist is the brief our desk works from. It is written for travel agents, tour operators and group organisers, and the same list helps a traveller organising a family or club trip.
How should you send the enquiry?
- One enquiry, one new email. Start a new email for every group, and do not reply on an old thread. Each file is tracked separately, and requests mixed into old threads slow the quotation down.
- A clear subject line. Name the destination, the group size and the month, for example "NZ Group — 20 Pax — Feb 2027".
- Everything in the first email. We do not send rate sheets or blanket price lists. Every proposal is costed by hand against the brief you send, so the brief is what decides the price.
Our page on how we work sets out these rules in full.
What should the brief include?
The basics
- Dates. Arrival and departure dates, the arrival and departure airports, and the flight numbers if you have them.
- Flexibility. Say whether the dates, the hotel category or the routing can move. December to February and the ski season fill early, and flexibility is what keeps a programme quotable.
- Travellers. The number of adults and children, with children's ages, and whether a tour leader travels free of charge.
- Nationalities. They decide the entry rules: most visitors need an NZeTA or a visa before travel. See our entry requirements guide.
Rooms
- Room split. Twins, doubles and singles, and any triples or family rooms.
- Hotel category. The standard you want, and any hotel the client has asked for by name.
- Special requests. Ground-floor rooms, connecting rooms or accessible rooms.
Routing and transport
- Places. The cities and regions to cover, in order if you know it, and anything the client must see.
- How the group moves. Coach, minibus, self-drive or campervan, domestic flights, rail, and the Cook Strait ferry if the trip crosses between the islands.
- Luggage. Large suitcases need luggage space on the coach or a trailer, so tell us if the group travels heavy.
Services and the client
- Guides. A driver-guide, a tour leader from your side, or a local guide in each city, and the language required. English-speaking guides are standard; other languages are subject to availability.
- Meals. Which meals are included, and any dietary needs, such as halal, vegetarian or allergies.
- Activities. Must-do experiences, and anything the group should avoid.
- Purpose. Leisure, incentive, study tour, sports team or a special occasion. It changes the hotels, the pace and the evening programme.
- Accessibility. Mobility needs or medical conditions we should plan around.
- Budget. A target per head, if you have one, helps us choose hotels and routing that fit it.
What happens after you send it?
We cost the programme by hand, at net rates you mark up yourself, and send a proposal with the itinerary, the hotels and the inclusions, priced as one package. We do not price each activity or transfer separately; on request, we can split the quotation into hotels and land arrangements. Proposals can carry your brand, and we never contact your client. Once the group is confirmed, we ask for a rooming list with names as they appear in passports, final flight details and any changes to dietary or access needs, by the dates set in the confirmation.
If the price needs to move, tell us what can change: a different month, a smaller hotel tier, one fewer night, or a different way to cross the country. Our guide to quoting 2027 group programmes explains the cost pressures behind group prices.
How Explera DMC New Zealand can help
As a New Zealand DMC we quote and run group tours by coach across both islands, with coach and private transfers, hotels and lodges and guides and driver-guides, for travel agents, tour operators and group organisers. Send the brief to b2b@explera.co.nz, or use the quote form on our contact page.
FAQ
What should a New Zealand group enquiry include? Dates and flexibility, the number of adults and children, nationalities, the room split and hotel category, the places to cover, how the group will travel, meals and dietary needs, guides and language, the purpose of the trip and any budget.
Can I send a new group request on an old email thread? Please do not. Send each enquiry as a new email with a clear subject line, such as "NZ Group — 20 Pax — Feb 2027", because each file is tracked separately.
Do you send a group rate sheet? No. There are no rate sheets or blanket price lists: every group proposal is costed by hand against the brief, at net rates you mark up yourself, as one package price.
When do you need the rooming list? After the group is confirmed, by the date set in the confirmation, with names as they appear in passports.
Talk to the trade desk
Explera DMC New Zealand trade desk — b2b@explera.co.nz, WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090, B2B portal b2b.expleradmc.com.
