It's the end of the road for the young British travellers who
have been battling it out to win the coveted title of 'The Ultimate
Gap Year Traveller 2009' in online reality travel series The Gap
Year: Challenge New Zealand.
The final three contestants - Holly, Anton and Emma - completed
their final challenges in Queenstown yesterday. The winner will be
announced in Friday's finale and so far, an incredible 25,000 votes
have been cast online.
Over the past four weeks, the travellers have been pushed to
their physical and mental limits. They have faced their fears in
adventure, wild food and cultural challenges around New Zealand and
won the hearts of the online community along the way.
Created by Endemol UK's award winning Digital Studios arm,
The Gap Year: Challenge New Zealand is sponsored by
Tourism New Zealand in a deal brokered by New State - Endemol UK's
division dedicated to securing partnerships with leading
brands.
Throughout the series, the travellers posted short videos and
updates documenting their amazing adventures on The Gap Year
homepages, which currently have nearly 12,000 followers across
Bebo, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and You Tube. Viewers were also
able to get involved with the show by interacting with the
travellers and voting for the person that they want to win.
Gap Year Co-Producer Matt Smith says the project has
been hugely successful. "It's the first project of its type to be
rolled out across a number of social networks and it has exceeded
expectations in every way."
The initiative is part of Tourism New Zealand's 'Go All the Way'
campaign, which was developed to target the resilient backpacker
market.
Tourism New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Tim Hunter says the
initiative has been an ideal way to showcase the New Zealand
holiday experience to a backpacker audience.
"Outbound travel from the UK has been hit hard by the global
economic downturn but we're finding that backpackers are still
travelling. The Gap Year project is just one of a series of
initiatives that will aim to make sure these travellers come all
the way down to New Zealand when they make that big trip."
Matt Smith says he's been impressed by the support New
Zealanders have shown for the project.
"We've been over-awed with the response and help we've received
from the people in New Zealand, from the tourism board to operators
to the people who've gone out of their way to help us."
For more information contact:
Cas Carter - 021 915 410
The Gap Year Challenge can be followed
on:
www.bebo.com/thegapyear; www.facebook.com/thegapyear; www.twitter.com/thegapyear; www.youtube.com/thegapyear; www.myspace.com/thegapyear
Read more about The Gap Year: Challenge New
Zealand and 'Go All The Way':
Backpackers Buzz About Going All the Way
Gap Year
Five Finally Arrive
Backpackers to 'Go All the Way'