Tourist buzz gets around New Zealand
16 Jan 2009
"Hey, Mum - look at me ... there’s lots to rave about in New Zealand!"
Tourists at the North Auckland beach resort of Paihia were among the first to take up the offer of free video postcards recording raves about their New Zealand travels for family and friends back home.
Produced in Tourism New Zealand’s new mobile recording studio, the personalised messages will be posted on YouTube and Facebook, and accessible anywhere in the world.
The distinctively branded ‘Have Your Say’ studio - a shipping container with an over-sized bird's nest on its back - headed north from Auckland last week.
On the first leg of a summertime journey that will take it to about 50 destinations around New Zealand, the studio is expected to record around 3,000 ‘raves’ from overseas visitors.
Word-of-mouth
The initiative is the next phase in Tourism New Zealand’s ‘What do you Say UK?’ marketing campaign, which launched in the UK in September 2008.
It is based on research that found word-of-mouth recommendations are among the strongest motivators for British travellers when they are thinking about a holiday in New Zealand.
Visitor raves recorded in the mobile studio are emailed out immediately to friends and family, and broadcast on a special ‘Have Your Say’ YouTube channel.
"Using these electronic video diaries is a step closer to getting that immediate word-of-mouth recommendation back to people at home," Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton said.
Visitors from Canada, Australia, UK, US, Japan and Germany had so far recorded messages, he said.
Video diary message
British tourist Rachel Ingham, who left west Yorkshire four months ago, said sending a video diary message gave her parents a chance to see how her travels were going.
"This is a great chance for my parents to see how I'm doing here," she said.
German visitor Anita Kiel, 29, said her friends were missing her a lot and enjoyed seeing her describe her first few days in New Zealand.
Regional tourism
Tourism New Zealand is working with the regional tourism organisations to maximise the visibility of the mobile studio as it makes its way around the country.
The studio was trialled around Auckland last week and spent some time recording messages at the Auckland Museum and Piha, a popular surfing beach just west of the city. In Northland it will visit Tutukaka, Paihia, Waitangi, Cape Reinga and the Waipoua forest.
Tourism Auckland Chief Executive Graeme Osborne says he strongly supports the initiative, which will be a great way of lifting Tourism New Zealand’s profile domestically.
"Capturing personalised visitor feedback through the mobile studio and promoting these recommendations online through social networking websites is a bold and innovative concept," he said.
New Zealand’s high profile
With international visitor numbers expected to be down by 10 percent this summer, it's hoped the initiative will help keep New Zealand’s profile high in the UK, its second largest tourist market.
Graeme Osborne says the economic downturn has seen visitors to the Auckland region booking later and looking to trusted sources for holiday recommendations.
"Innovations such as the mobile recording studio align conveniently with this changed pattern in visitor decision making and offer a fresh approach to influencing travel decisions during this challenging economic period."
Local tourism operators
Local tourism operators are also enthusiastic about the campaign.
Check out: Dive Tutukaka!
Mobile studio schedule
Below is a rough* schedule of regions the studio will visit January - April 2009:
- January
Auckland, Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua
- February
Eastland, Hawke's Bay, Taupo, Ruapehu, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington, Marlborough, Alpine Pacific Triangle
- March
Christchurch, Central South Island, Mount Cook, Waitaki, Dunedin, Southland, Fiordland, Queenstown, Central Otago
- April
Lake Wanaka, West Coast, Nelson Tasman, Marlborough, Nature Coast, Wanganui, Taranaki, Waikato, Auckland
*Note this schedule is subject to change.
Check out: 'Have Your Say' videos
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