China is the world's fastest-growing economy and Tourism New
Zealand is working in this market to grow our share of the
increasing outbound travel market. Our strategy is to drive value
out of China by increasing the number of mono-destination
travellers, while addressing quality issues around dual-destination
travel.
Tourism New Zealand's campaign work in China is focused on
Shanghai and Beijing, and makes significant use of digital channels
as well as PR and media opportunities. Work with travel sellers is
carried out together with Tourism New Zealand's
Approved Destination Status (ADS) team to ensure the quality of
Chinese visitors' New Zealand holiday experiences.
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Campaign
Media
Trade
Campaign
In April 2010, Tourism New Zealand launched a new marketing campaign
in China making use of online communities and interactive
digital technology to take New Zealand to the right audiences in
this fast-growing market.
The campaign is based around mini-travelogues fronted by two big
names in Chinese entertainment - film-maker Lu Chuan and media
personality and celebrity blogger Hung Huang - as they experience
New Zealand for themselves. The travelogues are being shared
through a range of online platforms, including blogs, social media
sites and the Chinese-language version of newzealand.com. Two key
channels include the Chinese equivalents of social media websites
YouTube (www.tudou.com) and
Facebook (www.kaixin001.com).
The '100% Pure New Zealand' campaign was launched in China in
April 2008 and has been successful in building awareness of New
Zealand. This latest campaign, which carries the tagline 'Experience New Zealand
Right Now', will build on that work by telling a more detailed
story of what New Zealand has to offer Chinese visitors.
Advertising and other content is pushing audiences to www.newzealand.com/travel/china, where they can
view and download Hung Huang and Lu Chuan's New Zealand
itineraries, and link through to travel sellers to book
travel.
Tourism New Zealand targets travellers based in Beijing and
Shanghai; these urbanites are considered more experienced and
sophisticated in their travel tastes, are higher users of the
Internet, and more attracted to the kind of holiday New Zealand can
offer.
In March, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand launched a
campaign to increase free independent travel out of Beijing.
Working with local travel companies, the promotion will run through
to the end of June.
Shanghai World Expo 2010
The New Zealand pavilion
at the Shanghai World Expo is expected to attract more than 40,000
people each day during the six-month event (1 May to 31 October
2010). The pavilion is being managed by New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise with support from Tourism New Zealand and other New
Zealand Inc. agencies. It is themed around 'Cities of Nature -
Living Between Earth and Sky', and showcases a day in a New Zealand
city.
Tourism New Zealand's focus during Expo 2010 is to extend New
Zealand's participation to reach a wider audience of Chinese
consumers, raising awareness of New Zealand as a holiday
destination and directing consumers to www.newzealand.com/travel/china.
Activity includes promotion of the Expo on www.newzealand.com/travel/china
initiatives, PR activity, a free independent travel training
programme for travel agents in October, and attendance by New
Zealand tourism companies at the Asia Luxury Travel Mart in
Shanghai in June.
Media
International Media Programme
Recent results include a six-page story on the New Zealand Golf
Open in China's top golf publication Golf Digest China
(cir. 180,000). The April issue also featured a three-page story on
'Jamie and Michael', two Kiwis who travel around the world playing
a game of golf each day.
Business Travel magazine, a high-end travel magazine
(cir. 200,000), published a 16-page supplement focusing on the New
Zealand Golf Open and Queenstown visitor activities, including golf
courses, wineries and accommodation.
Opinion Leaders
Tourism New Zealand hosted two Chinese bloggers to New Zealand
in March. Peter Kam is a multi-faceted composer, arranger and
producer based in Hong Kong. CCTV Director NowNow is one of China's
most popular female bloggers. Both blogged and tweeted during their
visits, with NowNow calling New Zealand a "pure and beautiful
heaven-like place".
Opinion leaders, and stars of Tourism New Zealand's new campaign
in China, Lu Chuan and Hung Huang have also blogged extensively
about their New Zealand visits.
Global Newsroom
A recent feature on the Chinese language version of Tourism New
Zealand's international media website was picked up six magazines,
including Modern Weekly (circulation 535,000) and
Noblesse (circulation 103,000), along with more than 50
separate online news outlets and one trade newspaper.
Trade
Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand held product training
seminars for 150 travel agents in early 2010, promoting four themed
itineraries supporting the
'Experience New Zealand Right Now' campaign. More than 350
travel agents from over 60 agencies have attended Tourism New
Zealand trade training in Shanghai and Beijing in the past
year.
Tourism New Zealand in partnership with Air New Zealand,
Shanghai Airlines Travel and Jin Jiang Tours started promoting a
new mono-New Zealand product on 1 May 2010. The 11-day tour
includes new regions, such as the Bay of Plenty.
High-end product buyers and frontline retail agents from China
visited New Zealand during May 2010 as part of Tourism New
Zealand's familiarisation (famil)
programme. The famil programme aims to bring travel sellers up
to speed with all the latest developments in the New Zealand
tourism industry and to build new relationships with key travel
trade partners around the world.
Behind the scenes, Tourism New Zealand is having quiet success
improving the holiday experiences of Chinese visitors through its
ADS monitoring unit.
Twenty-three companies are now ADS-approved under the voluntary
code of conduct and around 70 tour guides have graduated to become
the first group of official ADS-approved guides. Brochures have
also been published and made available to Chinese visitors with
guidance on the prices they should expect to pay for souvenirs and
health products in New Zealand.
In April, Immigration New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand signed
a new agreement with Chinese travel agents approved to sell ADS
tours to New Zealand. It will help ensure the service provided by
Chinese travel agents meet the expectations of Chinese
visitors.