Positively Wellington Tourism Sets Priorities for an Absolutely Positive 2009

It’s time for Wellington to win over Australians like it has wooed New Zealanders, says Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) Chief Executive David Perks.

Setting the regional tourism organisation’s priorities for 2009, Mr Perks said Australia was clearly New Zealand’s ‘banker market’ and Wellington needed to cash in.

According to Australian market research company Roy Morgan, 20% of Australians planning to travel overseas in the next 12 months have identified New Zealand as their preferred destination. Australian arrivals in New Zealand rose 1.8% in November, compared to a total drop of 4.2% in international visitor arrivals.

Mr Perks said PWT’s Australian marketing team had recently completed a number of joint venture campaigns across the ditch, and is now working on high profile lifestyle media visits.

“Media familiarisations are cost effective and influential, but what we really need now is an awareness campaign so we can build Australian consumers’ knowledge of where Wellington is, what it offers and cement a desire to visit.”

Positively Wellington Tourism had reviewed its series of domestic campaigns and discussed the dramatic change they have affected over the last decade.

“We’ve earned our place in the hearts of New Zealanders, now it’s absolutely positively time to work on the Aussies. This year we will be lobbying for increased partner investment and funding for Australian marketing. We appreciate times are tough, but Wellington has long been a leader in destination marketing and been better off because of it – that needs to continue, moreso because of the current economic environment.”

It would take an estimated $4 million to execute an Australia-wide campaign, Mr Perks said.

“Obviously in the current climate sourcing that kind of resource is not realistic, but that’s where we have our sights set long-term. In the meantime, we would like to start by targeting a particular area, which would cost about $500,000.”

Positively Wellington Tourism, which released the capital’s first regional visitor strategy in December, would also be focused on online marketing and visitor satisfaction this year, Mr Perks said.

“We want to make sure Wellington delivers the best experience in New Zealand and we need every Wellingtonian to help us achieve that.”

ENDS

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