Campaign invites Aussies to road trip the South Island

Campaign invites Aussies to road trip the South Island

The South Island tourism industry has a new message for its Australian neighbours: from the West Coast to Wanaka, Marlborough to Queenstown and Southland and everything in between – nothing beats a South Island Road Trip.

Christchurch Airport and Tourism New Zealand are partnering with all regions of the South Island in a campaign to remind Aussies of all the amazing experiences on offer just a short flight away.

The three year campaign will see the parties directly invest three million dollars over three years into luring our neighbours over for a road trip around the South Island. In addition, to the direct spend there will be a wide range of media and travel agent development activity, which will see the value delivered by the campaign reach as much as $4 to 6 million.

Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns says as the gateway to the South Island, Christchurch Airport is excited to be working in partnership with Tourism New Zealand to increase visitors to all regions of the South Island.

“With increased capacity into Christchurch from Australia this summer, we’re confident this campaign will remind Australians of why the South Island’s such a great place. Australians are our largest visitor market and attracting more of them back to the South Island is critical to the recovery and growth plans of not just the airport, but the city, the South Island and the country,” he says.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says TNZ is excited to see one of its largest campaigns return to the South Island next year.

"We know from past campaigns that the self-drive offer encourages travellers to explore further afield while they are here - increasing length of stay and the number of regions visited, both key goals of all our activity in Australia. We have seen great success from our wider campaign activity in the South Island over the past few years and look forward to working with Christchurch Airport and tourism partners to tell a fresh and compelling story to bring more Australians to South Island roads over the next three years,” he says.

Chief Executive of Tourism West Coast Jim Little says the West Coast is keen to welcome more Australians. “Australian visitors are an important market for the West Coast. They travel at different times of the year and provide regular guest nights for West Coast accommodation”.

CEO of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism Tim Hunter agrees Australians are vitally important for the South Island and they love to explore it. “Our friends across the ditch have been a core part of South Island tourism and we are working hard to restore their love of our part of the world and all the experiences it offers – from mountains and lakes to glaciers and beaches, all easily accessible by road. Tourism operators around the whole island are keen to roll out the welcome mat.”

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