The invitation comes as Americans increasingly priortise wellness and are always looking for the next big trend.

We're telling them to look no further, they can get everything they need, including a reset, in Aotearoa New Zealand, says Tourism New Zealand General manager marketing Brodie McLeish.

In this activity, native birdsong becomes the soundtrack to a natural sound bath, geothermal waters offer thermal therapy heated by the earth, and mindfulness unfolds along forest trails and wild coastlines. Even a bungy jump or mountain hike can deliver a different kind of feel-good rush.

The US is New Zealand's second largest visitor market. Visitors from the US spent $2.18 billion in the year to June 2026 and visitor arrivals reached 387k in the year to July 2026.

Overall the US market has rebounded strongly and this has been led by holiday arrivals.

Our audience has increased 17 million in less than a year to 67m, supported by 100% Pure New Zealand campaign activity.

"The US is a mature market for New Zealand, so we need to stand out from other destinations and let Americans know exactly why New Zealand should be their next holiday choice, that’s where wellness comes in.

What sets us apart from other wellness destinations is our unique Māori culture and the Te Ao Māori worldview--where people and place are connected by a lifeforce, or wairua," says Brodie.

Our geothermal attractions have enticed visitors looking for wellness since the 19th century when people took long journeys to experience Rotorua's healing waters and be welcomed by the manaakitanga of some of our earliest tourism pioneers.

The campaign features New Zealand actor Jordi Webber as the host of Studio New Zealand. Jordi (Te Arawa, Ngāti Toa) is a Māori actor, writer, musician and emerging filmmaker from Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand. Over the past decade, he has built a career across international film and television.

Destinations all over Aotearoa New Zealand feature, from the Kauri forests of Northland, to the geothermal attractions in Rotorua, our mountain lakes in Nelson, Kaikoura’s chilly waters and Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges.

To help Tourism New Zealand land the launch of Studio New Zealand, we’re working with respected wellness thought-leader Liz Moody to showcase our wellness offering to the US audience.

Liz will travel to New Zealand to experience our wellness proposition for herself on a journey through Northland,  sharing her thoughts and experiences with her audience on her social channels and podcast.

The campaign also includes a trade partnership with Intrepid Travel to encourage bookings and TNZ is working with airline partners on airfares during the campaign period to stimulate bookings and arrivals.

The activity will be supported by PR pitching to tell New Zealand’s wellness story across US travel and lifestyle media, and content on NewZealand.com featuring tourism products.

Market insights show that many of the US travellers dreaming of a holiday to New Zealand are particularly time-poor due to limited leave and busy schedules so the campaign demonstrates that Studio New Zealand can offer a wellness reset in just a week.

Overall spend per visit has increased 19% to $6618 per visitor in the year to June 2026.

Wellness is one of three themes TNZ is promoting to our global audience this year. Food and beverage, following the launch of the first New Zealand MICHELIN Guide, and active escapes are the other two. From research we know  these themes inspire our audience with content that resonates with them and showcases bookable, visitor ready experiences in New Zealand to drive bookings.