Latest News from Tourism New Zealand

A major promotional campaign in Japan is raising awareness of what New Zealand has to offer as a holiday destination.

Full page editorial-style advertisements in Japan's leading newspaper, Asahi, are showcasing New Zealand's autumn colours, activities and food and wine experiences to an audience of eight million readers.

Arrivals from Japan have been hard hit by the economic downturn and last year's Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, but Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager Japan Jason Hill says he is confident the market has bottomed out.

"Arrivals figures for January are showing signs of growth, giving us a good start to 2010, and this promotion will hopefully push out numbers into the autumn shoulder season," he says.

Read more on our website

An official delegation including Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key today bid farewell to a piece of Māori art that will take centre stage at this year’s Shanghai World Expo.

The 10 metre-high, 3 metre-wide kauri waharoa (gateway) in the shape of a waka maumahara (ceremonial canoe) will be shipped to Shanghai next week, where carving will be completed on the forecourt of New Zealand’s national pavilion at the Expo.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the waharoa will give visitors to the pavilion a chance to experience part of New Zealand’s culture first hand.

“With 70 million people expected to pass through the expo over six months, this is an opportunity to get New Zealand in front of a mass of Chinese consumers.”

“The waharoa will be left behind as a legacy of the relationship between the two nations, and help attract attention to New Zealand’s unique culture and what we offer as a destination,” he says.

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German actress Sophie Schuett is touring New Zealand in February filming a travel programme that will show in Germany in August.

The 30-minute programme Das is mein Neuseeland airs to around 400,000 German viewers and is a well-established part of NTV Germany's stable of shows.

The show is also rebroadcast in hotels, train stations and airports in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and parts of Italy, reaching up to 300,000 more viewers.

The 10-day tour will see Sophie travel from Auckland, to Rotorua, Kaikoura, Christchurch and Dunedin.

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Chile, Argentina and Brazil are all firmly in Tourism New Zealand's sights as it evaluates the potential in small but growing secondary markets.

Together, the three South American countries deliver about 21,000 international visitors each year, with more than 11,000 from Brazil, 6,000 from Argentina and 4,000 from Chile traveling to New Zealand in the year ending December 2009.

"With good airlinks - direct flights from Argentina and Chile, and almost direct flights from San Paulo in Brazil - we have seen some good visitor results recently and we know that the travel trade in South America is interested in selling New Zealand," says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.

Read more on our website

Want to know more about South America?
Join our free online seminar on 22 February. Find out more and register online now.

Social media is proving its worth for the organisers of Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011), who have recently celebrated having the biggest Facebook site in New Zealand.

With more than 250,000 fans hailing from the world's rugby-loving nations, the Facebook site is providing an opportunity to talk directly with people who will potentially travel here for the 2011 tournament.

Tourism New Zealand's 100% Pure New Zealand Facebook page has just reached more 100,000 fans. Plans are underway to create closer links between the two sites, with the intention of converting rugby fans into potential visitors.

Read more on our website

It's set to be a busy year for offshore trade events. Registration is now open for a number of events in our international markets:

Taste New Zealand 2010
18 - 20 May, USA
A chance for New Zealand tourism businesses with a focus on corporate incentives to meet top US incentive planners in market.
Find out more and register

Asia Luxury Travel Mart (ALTM) 2010
14 - 17 June, Shanghai, China
This is the sister event to the Cannes International Luxury Travel Mart. New Zealand luxury tourism operators will have the opportunity to network with 300 targeted luxury travel buyers from the Asian markets.
Find out more and register

UK/Europe Product & IMA Workshop 2010
27 July, London, UK
This is an opportunity for operators and IMA representatives to present new products to a targeted audience of UK and European travel sellers.
Find out more and register

Kiwi Link Asia 2010
13 - 15 October, Singapore
An opportunity for operators new to the Asian markets, as well as those more experienced, to promote their products to travel companies from across South East Asia and China.
Find out more and register

Keep an eye on our Upcoming Events calendar for events here and offshore.

• Travel from the UK has begun to show signs of recovery as the British economy returned to growth for the first time since early 2008. Find out more in our updated UK market guide.
   
• What's happening in Japan? Check our website on Monday to view the updated market guide for Japan.
   
• Further television advertising is launching in Australia this weekend (21 February). A two-week Tourism New Zealand campaign in conjunction with Pacific Blue and Blue Holidays is targeting families ahead of the upcoming Australian school holidays (April).
   
• Qualmark has released its latest travel guide in conjunction with AA Guides. This is the first time the guide lists only operators being annually assessed on both Qualmark quality and environmental criteria.