Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Showcases New Zealand

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January 30, 2009

Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Showcases New Zealand

The start of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series this weekend will see New Zealand in the spotlight for yachting fans from many of our major tourist markets.

With 100 media outlets expected to cover the event in Auckland, Tourism New Zealand views it as an opportunity to get positive publicity for New Zealand and to showcase some of the attractions the country has to offer visitors.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says the exposure will help keep New Zealand’s profile high in countries including the US, UK, China and Switzerland.

“We are expecting to see a few thousand additional international visitors, with crews, support teams and yachting fans arriving for the event,” he says.

“But rather than building large visitor numbers around the event itself, the hope is that the exposure will help sustain visitor numbers from these important markets in the future.”

Tourism New Zealand is working with the main race broadcaster to place images of New Zealand throughout race coverage, which will be used by media outlets from around the world.

It is also hosting a number of international travel media and VIPs, including Chinese syndicate owners Mr and Mrs Wang. The famous Chinese couple, along with a small group of Chinese media, will spend time in Auckland, Queenstown, Nelson and the Abel Tasman as part of Tourism New Zealand’s opinion leaders’ programme.

“The support and recommendation of people like Mr and Mrs Wang is invaluable in building New Zealand’s profile in our target markets, which is what the opinion leaders’ programme is all about,” says George Hickton.

ENDS

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