The start of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series this weekend will
see New Zealand in the spotlight for yachting fans from many of our
major tourist markets.
With 100 media outlets expected to cover the event in Auckland,
Tourism New Zealand views it as an opportunity to get positive
publicity for New Zealand and to showcase some of the attractions
the country has to offer visitors.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says the
exposure will help keep New Zealand's profile high in countries
including the US, UK, China and Switzerland.
"We are expecting to see a few thousand additional international
visitors, with crews, support teams and yachting fans arriving for
the event," he says.
"But rather than building large visitor numbers around the event
itself, the hope is that the exposure will help sustain visitor
numbers from these important markets in the future."
Tourism New Zealand is working with the main race broadcaster to
place images of New Zealand throughout race coverage, which will be
used by media outlets from around the world.
It is also hosting a number of international travel media and
VIPs, including Chinese syndicate owners Mr and Mrs Wang. The
famous Chinese couple, along with a small group of Chinese media,
will spend time in Auckland, Queenstown, Nelson and the Abel Tasman
as part of Tourism New Zealand's opinion leaders' programme.
"The support and recommendation of people like Mr and Mrs Wang
is invaluable in building New Zealand's profile in our target
markets, which is what the opinion leaders' programme is all
about," says George Hickton.
For further information contact:
Cas Carter, Corporate Communications Tourism New Zealand,
Mob 021 915 410
Read more about how
Tourism New Zealand gets involved with events here and
offshore