Wellington Tempts Aussies with a Great Package
08 August 2007
Wellington is about to ramp up its Australian consumer campaign again – and its neighbouring regions are part of the package.
The capital is gearing up for the Spring round of the ‘What’s On’ campaign, in partnership with Tourism New Zealand. This time round, Wairarapa and Marlborough are supporting the campaign activity with some enticing packages for Australian visitors.
“Wellington has been actively involved in the ‘What’s On’ campaign since its launch a year ago,” says Tim Cossar, CEO of Positively Wellington Tourism. “We’ve been proud to take a lead role, and were the first region to advertise on Australian TV as part of the campaign.”
“’What’s On in Wellington’ has allowed us to showcase the best of Wellington to Australians, its arts and culture, food and wine offerings,” says Tim. “We have some world-class wine regions on our doorstep, and it’s fantastic to get them on board. Our message is that Wellington is the gateway to great New Zealand experiences.”
Tim says that partnership is essential to cracking the Australian market. “Australia is our number one international visitor market, but perception of Wellington is still low. It’s been great to leverage Tourism New Zealand’s ‘What’s On’ campaign, and be part of a comprehensive campaign strategy focusing on what each region can offer Australians.”
Wellington will continue to run its 15 second advert, featuring television star Petra Bagust. The advert will be backed up by online advertising, and the campaign will have a strong presence on Wellington’s official tourism website WellingtonNZ.com.
The ‘What’s On in Wellington’ campaign will be in market in New South Wales and Queensland from 2 – 15 September. Campaign partner Air New Zealand will also provide Australians with a tempting one way fare to Wellington from Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne.
Wellington will also be involved in the Spring Pass aspect of the ‘What’s On’ campaign. Australians will be able to visit Wellington’s i-SITE Visitor Centre and access great deals offered by some of the local tourism operators.
“We continue to see Australia as a strategically important market for Wellington,” says Tim Cossar. “We’ve recently completed research on the ‘What’s On in Wellington’ campaign, and the results are positive. Australians that have seen the Wellington campaign have stronger positive perceptions of the city, and are also more likely to consider visiting here.”
According to the International Visitor Arrival survey, the capital has seen a 4.5% increase in Australian visitors at year end June 2007. This dataset measures arrivals through Wellington’s International Airport.
