Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Queenstown tour operators are currently visiting the United States to showcase the
Auckland-Queenstown experience to media and travel advisors in an effort to lift visitation numbers from key locations
back to pre-Covid-19 levels.
The ‘Auckland and Queenstown USA Roadshow’ is the first major tourism promotion from the partnership between the
region’s economic and cultural agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Destination Queenstown and Auckland International
Airport Limited.
Officially kicked off on 30 March, the roadshow sees the group visiting key trade partners in New York, Chicago, Dallas,
San Francisco and Los Angeles, where it concludes on 7 April.
The tour aims to promote three nights in Auckland and three nights in Queenstown as a foundation of an Aotearoa New
Zealand itinerary for US travellers. Fundamentally, the roadshow will highlight Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland as the most
connected city in Australasia to North America with year-round, direct flights on offer from eight North American
cities.
The US roadshow features 17 different tour operators, spanning an impressive range of unique attractions and
accommodation providers. Auckland operators include Waiheke’s EcoZip Adventures, Terra and Tide guided tours, the All
Blacks Experience, Wētā Workshop, the luxury Te Arai Links golf course plus a line-up of premium hotel accommodation.
Annie Dundas, Head of Visitor Economy at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, says, “We are excited to be positioning these two
complementary destinations to trade partners in the US. This roadshow capitalises on the extensive airline schedules
connecting Auckland to North America while bringing to the fore world-class experiences and adventures that will really
appeal to this market.”
“In 2019, prior to the border closures related to Covid-19, 46 per cent of all US visitor spend in New Zealand was in
Auckland and Queenstown. Additionally, more than 80 per cent of North American visitors to New Zealand landed in
Auckland. The US market is now the second largest market into New Zealand, behind Australia. This roadshow is an
important step in tourism recovery to pre-Covid levels which will ultimately lift the prosperity of the Auckland region
while providing flow-on benefits to the rest of New Zealand’s tourism industry and economy,” says Annie Dundas.
Gavin Oliver, Owner of Ecozip Adventures says, “This tour presents an invaluable opportunity for Auckland’s tourism
businesses to reconnect with former clients in the US tourism market and to make new contacts.”
“Being in-market, talking to these vendors face-to-face, is exciting for all the operators involved. It also presents a
fantastic opportunity to put Auckland back on the international stage, with the many economic benefits this brings to
the region and its businesses,” says Gavin Oliver.
The roadshow is made possible by significant funding from Auckland International Airport Limited in conjunction with the
participating New Zealand tour operators, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and Destination Queenstown.
The Auckland-based tour operators participating in the USA Roadshow are:Terra and TideAccor HotelsMillennium HotelsWētā WorkshopSudima HotelsTe Arai LinksAll Blacks Experience, Ngai Tahu TourismEcoZip Adventures