Designer tours for off-peak allure

Explore says its itineraries are designed to make travelling around New Zealand "simple and easy".

A New Zealand tourism operator has created designer itineraries to entice more Chinese visitors in off-peak seasons.

Explore Group believes the packages will encourage more Chinese and Asian tourists into areas such as Northland, Waiheke Island and Coromandel during the off-peak winter and autumn months.

Tourists can choose from three itineraries - the Winterless North; Three Seasons: autumn, winter, spring; and Your Golden Vacation.

The trips - between three and four days long - include events such as September's Scallop Festival in Whitianga and visits to popular areas such as National Park, Rotorua and Wellington.

Explore sales manager Carole Beggs said the emphasis of the trips was on making travelling around the country "simple and easy".

"It's all about telling them stories and sharing experiences that allow Chinese visitors to relate to New Zealand and immerse themselves in the culture," Beggs said.

"Many Chinese travellers' perception of New Zealand is of a slightly scary wilderness, or an adventure and adrenalin destination, whereas these itineraries are designed to be effortless but intriguing at the same time."

The Winterless North itinerary goes from Auckland to Cape Reinga with stops in the Bay of Islands and at Tane Mahuta and Kai Iwi Lakes along the way.

The Three Seasons itinerary takes tourists from Auckland to Wellington via National Park, while the Your Golden Vacation itinerary extends from Waiheke Island through to Coromandel Peninsula.

The Explore initiative comes after the group jointly won an Auckland Airport competition which was designed to help drive tourism growth from Asian markets during New Zealand's off-peak season of May to September.

Explore was one of a handful of companies to receive $25,000 which is now being used to develop the itineraries.

The company hopes to get the programmes running by the end of the year.

Rising arrivals
•Chinese tourist numbers have increased in the past three years.
•12,976 arrivals in July, up from 11,248 last year and 9856 in 2013.
•236,448 visitors in the year to July, up 31.9% on last year.
[Source Statistics New Zealand]