The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) will hold their
annual convention in Wellington 7-12 November, where around 450
North American travel writers, PR professionals and associates, and
their partners, will experience attractions and activities around
New Zealand.
The convention is supported jointly by Positively Wellington
Tourism, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand.
SATW's board meeting will also be held at Sky City in Auckland
before the Wellington convention, and will prove another
opportunity for board members to experience tourism activities
around Auckland.
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Brand & International PR
Catherine Bates welcomes this opportunity to showcase the New
Zealand holiday experience to one of its key markets.
"North America is a key visitor market for New Zealand and this is
a great way to share our holiday experience with potential
visitors. Delegates will travel the length and breadth of the
country through pre and post tours, and will be writing about their
experiences in a huge variety of publications across the US and
Canada.
The tours have been carefully tailored to show the fun and
accessible nature of New Zealand's tourism offerings, and we're
confident that these writers will produce many positive stories
that appeal to our target audience."
The writers will be exposed to half-day and day tours in
Wellington including boutique beer tasting and Middle Earth filming
locations.
Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks said the
convention is perfectly timed for boosting the 'coolest little
capital in the world's' profile in North America and beyond.
"Wellington and New Zealand are very much on the world's radar
courtesy of Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011, Rugby World Cup and
filming of The Hobbit. The release of The Hobbit will see that
interest peak later next year, particularly in America, so we're
not only telling Wellington's stories now, we're setting a platform
and establishing relationships on which we can continue to build
and leverage."
24 different pre and-post-tours are on offer around the rest of
New Zealand, including activities such as hiking and cycling in
Tongariro and a sightseeing journey around the lakes, mountains and
glaciers of the South Island.
Society of American Travel Writers is a significant professional
association which represents about 1,200 professional journalists,
photographers, and media relations professionals and associates in
North America.