Campaign promotes the South in autumn

For the next eight weeks, Australians will be presented with inspirational images of New Zealand’s iconic South Island as part of the annual South Island Journeys campaign.

This is the fifth year the campaign has run, in conjunction with Christchurch International Airport Limited and SOUTH (a membership-based collaboration of 14 South Island Regional Tourism Organisations).

The campaign promotes five itineraries: Top of the South (encompassing Christchurch, Hanmer Springs, Murchison, Marlborough, Nelson, and Kaikoura); Alpine Lakes Journey (including Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown, Lake Tekapo, and Mackenzie district); TranzAlpine Explorer (taking travellers through Arthur’s Pass to West Coast and south to Franz Josef, Wanaka, and Queenstown); Southern Scenic Route (covering Christchurch, Dunedin, the Catlins, Invercargill, Te Anau, and Milford Sound); and Discover the South (covering Christchurch, Oamaru, Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown).

“Australia is our largest international holiday market and visitors tend to stay on average 10 days, which is a perfect length of time to explore parts of the South Island – particularly in autumn. This campaign aims to highlight the variety of journeys and experiences available to the Australian traveller,” says Andrew Waddel, Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager Australia.

“Christchurch is the ideal gateway for a South Island holiday, with direct flights from Australia’s main centres, including Perth. We think Australians will really enjoy the itineraries we’ve prepared and exploring the South Island’s regions.”

Tourism West Coast Chief Executive Jim Little says previous campaigns have contributed to increased visitor levels in the West Coast.

“As a member of SOUTH, Tourism West Coast is an enthusiastic contributor to this campaign. Our joint venture work with Tourism New Zealand in Australia has delivered consistently improving results over the past four years with holiday arrivals growing by more than 8% during the campaign period last year. Operators up and down the coast know the value of our Australian visitors, who get out and experience our very best features while independently touring the south,” he says.

The South Island Journeys campaign runs from 10 September to 4 November with travel packages available between March and May 2019.

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