Fly direct to New Zealand's own Central Park
08 Dec 2009
From 12 December, Australian travellers will be able to take advantage of direct flights into the central North Island of New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is due to start flying twice weekly services between Rotorua airport and Sydney with a 152-seat Airbus A320.
And to make the most of the expected influx of Australian visitors, the central North Island regions have combined forces to create ‘Central Park’, a regional tourism collective to market the area in a coordinated approach.
Central Park, NZ
Central Park New Zealand is an alliance between the Coromandel, Waitomo, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Lake Taupo, Ruapehu and Hawke’s Bay regions, in conjunction with Rotorua Airport.
The regions are working together to promote the attractions of the wider central North Island area to Australian visitors, making it a must-do location for a diverse range of tourism experiences.
The Central Park New Zealand group will raise brand awareness in Australia early in the New Year with subsequent travel trade and consumer direct campaigns running throughout 2010.
Land, legends and life
Scott Pearson of Destination Lake Taupo says the Central Park brand statement is about "connecting land, legends and life".
"We have a living landscape offering pristine beaches, cavernous underground experiences, interesting architecture, world class wines, volcanic formations and thermal wonders.
"Secondly we are arguably the richest region in New Zealand when it comes to Maori culture and when expressed authentically our stories and legends are unique, interesting and engaging," he said.
The third key to the campaign revolves around life and making sure that people meet genuine New Zealanders when they visit the Central Park region, said Pearson.
Rotorua flights
Air New Zealand says introducing the direct Sydney - Rotorua flights had been sparked by the increase in passenger numbers from Australia.
"Rotorua is an iconic tourism destination and well known amongst Australian travellers. We see the potential for good passenger numbers from Australia and the continued strength of inbound tourism from there has lent weight to our decision," said airline general manager for Tasman Pacific Glen Sowry.
He said the new services would also make Rotorua significantly more accessible for visitors from Asia who would no longer have to fly via Auckland.
"Through winter the new service also provides significant opportunities in attracting more Australian skiers to the Central North Island ski fields, something I'm sure Mt Ruapehu and nearby businesses will be looking forward to," said Sowry.
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