Latest News from Tourism New Zealand

New Zealand was beamed into the homes of millions of Americans last night (8pm US Eastern-standard time), as the final six contestants in the latest series of America’s Next Top Model headed to New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand jointly hosted the America’s Next Top Model crew for three episodes of filming in November and December last year.

An audience of 3.27 milion watched the first episode last night, which saw the models experience a Māori welcome in Auckland and model merino garments for a photo shoot on a farm north of Auckland.

This was one of the first major results to come out of a new US marketing partnership between Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand, which aims to more than double US arrivals from just under 200,000 to around 320,000 by 2014.

A website – www.gonewzealand.com – has been launched as part of the partnership, where America’s Next Top Model content and travel deals will be rolled out as each episode goes to air.

The new marketing partnership will be the single largest investment in one market the two organisations have made, with several millions of dollars to be committed over the next 12 months.

Read the full story online

• Hear what the show's host Tyra Banks thinks about New Zealand (YouTube)
  

Tween idol Justin Bieber's whirlwind New Zealand visit got off to a flying leap when he bungy-jumped off the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Wednesday morning.

A video of the 16-year-old Canadian pop star's jump went viral on the internet, clocking up more than 100,000 views within a few hours. The video has now had more than 314,00 views.

The young "Twitter Prince" tweeted footage of his jump to the 2.1 million fans who follow him on social networking website Twitter, along with the comment: "BUNGY!!! I love New Zealand!!"

Tourism New Zealand worked with Universal and AJ Hackett to arrange the private jump from Auckland Harbour Bridge. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler said Justin's huge international fan base would help ensure his experiences in New Zealand are picked up by a global audience.

Read more and watch the video on our website

Images of Justin's bungy have already been published online by a number of high-profile media outlets in the UK and US, including:

• www.people.com
• www.telegraph.co.uk
• www.thesun.co.uk
• Ok Magazine online
• BBC Newsround online

Suzanne Carter will join Tourism New Zealand's Executive Team as General Manager Public Affairs from 10 May 2010.

This position is an integral part of Tourism New Zealand's executive team. Suzanne will be responsible for managing and leading Tourism New Zealand's media and government relations, corporate and internal communications and projects, including our involvement in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Suzanne previously headed New Zealand Post Group's Corporate Communications for five years. She has had an extensive and successful communications career over the last 17 years, which has included a variety of communications roles in organisations such as Telecom and AMP, as well as working as an independent consultant.

The early Easter break helped drive a record month for Australian visitor arrivals in March, with more Australians visiting New Zealand last month than any previous March on record.

There were 17,000 more Australian visitors to New Zealand in March 2010, compared with 2009, an increase of 19.8 per cent. This growth helped boost overall visitor arrivals for the month of March by 7.4 per cent compared with last year, to a total of 243,000 visitors.

Arrivals for the month of March 2010:

• Australia:  105,534 up 19.8%;  Year-end: 1,116,887 up 14.5%
• UK:  26,442 down 3.1%;  Year-end: 255,376 down 3.2%
• USA:  19,214 down 5.6%;  Year-end: 196,452 down 0.1%
• China:  9,828 down 15.6%;  Year-end: 100,520 down 11.4%
• Japan:  10,452 down 0.6%;  Year-end: 79,619 down 17.8%
• Germany:  6,552 up 6.2%;  Year-end: 66,017 up 6.6%
• South Korea:  7,852 up 43.5%;  Year-end: 57,394 down 19.4%
• Canada:  5,512 down 0.1%;  Year-end 48,697 down 1.9%
  

See the 'Markets & Stats' section of our website for full visitor arrivals data

A Thai television crew is in New Zealand this week, filming for a romantic-comedy series that will showcase New Zealand's landscapes to six million Thais.

The Thai soap opera The Golden Orange Flowers is currently being filmed in New Zealand in partnership with Thai Airways International and Auckland International Airport.

Read more on our website

(Pictured: Cast and crew at the airport before departure to New Zealand)

A user-friendly guide for businesses has been released providing practical advice aound the use of licensed terms and trademarks for Rugby World Cup 2011.

The guide gives real-world examples of the 'dos and don'ts' under the Major Events Management Act 2007 (MEMA) in New Zealand.

This key educational document has been developed by Rugby World Cup Limited in conjunction with New Zealand's Ministry of Economic Development (MED) to help businesses understand how the MEMA regulations impact them.

Download a copy of the guide here or see our website for more information

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards.

The Awards celebrate destinations and tourism/travel businesses that provide world-class holiday experiences while making a positive contribution to local communities, economies and the environment.

Whale Watch Kaikoura won the supreme award in 2009, with YHA Wellington taking the top spot in the 'Best Large Hotel/Accommodation' category. New Zealand was named 'Best Destination' and overall winner in 2008.

It would be fantastic to see more New Zealand tourism organisations among the finalists in 2010.

Find out more and make your nominations online at www.responsibletourismawards.com

Read more about Responsible Tourism on our website

The 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games have been recognised this week  with an Event Excellence Award by Sports and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC).

Judges noted the Games' "meticulous organisation" and the success of the event in putting New Zealand on the map internationally.

"This is terrific reward for the many partners, volunteers and staff that made this incredible event happen," said Winter Games NZ CEO Arthur Klapp.

The inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games were held in Otago last August. The event was partly funded by the Government's Major Events Development Fund.

A date for the next Winter Games NZ is due to be announced in the next few weeks.

Eighty-one cruise ships visited New Zealand in the 2009/10 season. Each of those ships carried on average 1,240 passengers to over 491 port calls and contributed approximately NZD1 million to New Zealand's economy.

Cruise offers significant opportunities for New Zealand operators, but it is a unique sector and there are a few things to keep in mind. We've just published a new page on our website with tips for operators wanting to target the cruise sector.