The five contestants in the tourism promotion 'The Gap Year:
Challenge New Zealand' arrived into Auckland on Saturday to start
the ultimate online adventure.
The show is a partnership between Tourism New Zealand and
leading entertainment production company Endemol UK, which will
promote New Zealand as the ultimate destination for gap year
travellers.
The online reality show is part of Tourism New Zealand's 'Go All
The Way' campaign which launched in September and targets youth and
gap year travellers from the UK and Europe.
The online reality show will see five young travellers battling
it out on a series of extreme challenges over the next four weeks.
Each weekday, they will post 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 will also be able to get actively
involved with the show by interacting with the travellers and
influencing their journey.
Whether underwater, in the air, or on land, the travellers will
be pushed to their physical and mental limits. From taking on the
world's largest bungy jump to getting wet and wild white water
rafting, they must have nerves of steel and bags of determination
to prove that they are the ultimate gap year traveller.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says that for
many younger people social media and peer recommendation had become
an important channel for researching and choosing holiday
destinations.
"'The Gap Year: Challenge New Zealand' will be an effective way
of using online channels and social media to show people how
exciting a trip to New Zealand can be," he says.
Every Friday, a traveller will be sent back to the UK leaving
just two worthy finalists to battle it out during the concluding
week. Both will be desperate to be crowned 'The Gap Year: Challenge
New Zealand' winner, but who will have what it takes to go all the
way?
Model Kimberley, student Anton, upcoming director Emma, male
model Chris and show jumper Holly, who were selected from hundreds
of applicants, arrived on Saturday and were welcomed into the
country immediately with adrenalin-pumping activities around the
Auckland Harbour area.
The four-week trip will include challenges in the Auckland,
Northland, Rotorua, Wellington, Marlborough, West Coast, Milford
Sounds and Queenstown regions.
According to the International Visitor Survey, New Zealand
welcomed 183,063 backpackers - those defined as spending over 30
per cent of their stay in backpacker accommodation - in the year to
September 2009, up 6 per cent from one year ago. This compares with
an overall decline in arrivals of 1.8 per cent to 2.41 million in
the year to September 2009.
For more information please 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