New Zealand lures tourists
Tourism New Zealand has launched a new campaign in Southeast Asia as it looks to better tap the region.
Steven Dixon, Tourism New Zealand regional manager for South and Southeast Asia, said the "Every Day A Different Journey" campaign was introduced to travel agents in Thailand and New Zealand citizens living and working here.
The campaign is part of the 16-year master campaign "100% Pure New Zealand", which was created to attract international visitors to the country.
Dixon said that the new campaign would be launched in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore, and Indonesia early this month.
"In Thailand, we have invited 76 travel agents to learn about the new campaign which is set to promote outer areas of major [tourism] hubs in New Zealand," he said.
Areas in the north of the country being promoted include Bay of Island, the cultural destination Coromandel, Napier, and Hawkes Bay.
Dunedin, Kaikouia, and the West Coast in the South are also being marketed, thus promoting the peninsula, whale watching, and rain forests respectively.
In 2014, Dixon said that New Zealand welcomed some 3 million international tourists. Its key markets are Australia, China, United Sates, Great Britain, and Germany.
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are major source of arrivals from Asean.
Last year, Singapore contributed 50,000 tourists, followed by Malaysia (30,000), and Thailand (21,000).
"Sixty-five per cent of Thai tourists visiting New Zealand love to visit places outside big cities so we are promoting these outer areas to them," he said.
The high tourist season in New Zealand runs from December until February, but most Thai tourists prefer to visit New Zealand in April, May, and October due to those months being school-break periods in Thailand.
Thai tourists spend on average Bt80,000 per person per trip, with the number of incentive tourists from Thailand increasing.
"Thailand is one of the strong markets for New Zealand as they [Thai tourists] still travel in New Zealand whatever the concern in the country, like an economic crisis, bomb blast, and currency instability," Dixon said.
The tourism body will continue to promote tourism products and activities in New Zealand to other markets like the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China, and western countries.
It aims to increase the number of Thai visitors to the country by 5 per cent this year.
