PROMOTION works in Asia by Tourism New Zealand in a post-Tolkien franchises world will continue in earnest, with a budget that is 10 per cent larger than 2014’s.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily yesterday morning, Tourism New Zealand’s Asia general manager, David Craig, attributed the surge in interest in New Zealand to the movie. He said there has been a 52 per cent increase in total international visitor arrivals since The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, and over 1 in 10 holiday visitors chose the destination solely because of The Hobbit.
Craig said: “While the movie ends, the interest in the destination will not just drop off. So there is a lot we want to keep doing to not just keep the momentum going, but to accelerate it as well.”
On the Asian front, New Zealand is “gaining momentum in interest” especially from Singapore, India and China.
As at February this year, total arrivals from Singapore were up by 10.4 per cent to 47, 296 visitors, India up by 24.6 per cent to 39,618 and China up by 21.3 per cent to 287,888.
With a beefed-up budget kicking in from July, Craig said depending on the circumstances of individual markets in Asia, Tourism New Zealand will engage in a bigger number of trade activities, more fam trips and also look at more direct airline routes.
“We want to support more airline groups, as part of the destination’s appeal is about direct air connectivity which is lacking in countries like India and Indonesia,” said Craig.
Asia currently accounts for one-third of all visitors to New Zealand excluding Australia, and arrivals from Asia have surged 16 per cent from last year – making the region its fastest-growing market.
