New Zealand's profile will receive a boost in Japan following
visits by two celebrities this month - actress and media
personality Beverly Maeda and retired pro-baseball player Masumi
Kuwata.
The celebrities came here under Tourism New Zealand's Opinion
Leaders programme, accompanied by Japanese TV, print and online
media.
A much loved actress and the face of Japanese cosmetics giant
Shiseido, Beverly Maeda travelled to Canterbury, Lake Tekapo, Mount
Cook and Auckland to enjoy walking, star-gazing, food and wine.
"Beverly Maeda is a perfect ambassador as she represents the
ideal woman for baby-boomers in Japan, a key audience for New
Zealand in this market. She is a great performer who is widely
known and respected by the Japanese public," explains Tourism New
Zealand Regional Manager Japan Jason Hill.
Beverly Maeda was accompanied by journalists from Biglobe
Station50, a website targeting over 50s active seniors. The
website, which has more than 1.3 million page views per month, will
publish a New Zealand page on its site for three weeks in May.
Influential lifestyle magazine Yuyu also accompanied
Beverly Maeda and is planning an eight-page feature in its August
issue. The magazine has a nationwide distribution of 115,000. An
interview about her trip will also appear on live TV Tokyo
programme Ladies 4.
This was Beverly Maeda's third visit to New Zealand through
Tourism New Zealand's Opinion Leaders programme. She was also the
star of a high profile Tourism New Zealand
advertising campaign earlier this year in Japan's leading
newspaper, Asahi.
"Celebrity endorsements are a widely used and very powerful
marketing tool in Japan, and Beverly is now gaining a recognised
association with New Zealand," says Jason Hill.
A second Japanese celebrity, retired professional baseball star
and household name Masumi Kuwata, is currently in New Zealand,
accompanied by a Japanese television crew from BS-TBS Channel.
In a one-hour programme to broadcast in June, his visit will
introduce Japanese viewers to New Zealand nature and activities,
with an emphasis on cuisine and wine. BS-TBS targets the 30-60 age
group and has about 1.26 million viewers.
Masumi Kuwata's visit is a partnership project with ANZCO Foods
and Air New Zealand.
Our night sky on display
In another scoop for New Zealand, a 35-minute film about New
Zealand's night sky, landscapes and Māori culture has been created
by the Japan National Museum of Science.
New Zealand was one of only three countries selected for the
project, titled 'The World Heritage from the Universe'. Tourism New
Zealand hosted the crew while it was in New Zealand for filming in
December 2009.
The film will screen from 24 April 2010 at the National Museum
of Science in Tokyo and from 19 June 2010 at 3D movie theaters all
over Japan.
"We are currently inundated with media requests for New Zealand
stories which is a very positive trend," say Jason Hill.
Read more about
our International PR Programme
Read more about Japan
in our online market guide