Serving up bite-sized chunks of NZ to our neighbours

A new ad campaign is promoting New Zealand as a short-trip destination for Australians.

SYDNEY - New Zealand yesterday launched itself at Australia in a $6 million bid to lure one million visitors across the Tasman, aiming at the major eastern seaboard market of 15 million people.

The What's On campaign, which starts with a series of TV advertisements on Sunday, will shift the emphasis from one-off transtasman holidays to repeated short breaks in different regions.

It will also push travel to New Zealand during the traditionally slow spring and autumn seasons.

"This is the single biggest campaign we have launched in Australia since 100% Pure," Tourism Minister Damien O'Connor said yesterday.

"We need a new, fresh approach in Australia, with a bit of excitement, a bit of energy."

Tourism New Zealand, with the regional tourism organisations, has tailored the What's On campaign to the broader 100% Pure campaign to try to offset an apparent slowing of interest in transtasman travel by Australians.

TNZ research has shown that though Australians have a high awareness of New Zealand, there has been a decrease in the intent to cross the Tasman.

There has also been a reduction in the preference for New Zealand over rival destinations.

Much of the pressure comes from fiercely competitive states within Australia and from the Pacific.

"Anywhere within a three-hour flight would be competing with us," TNZ chief executive George Hickton said.

"We see the Australian market differently than the rest of the world.

"We are a long haul for anyone else but there are 15 million people on the eastern seaboard who can access New Zealand within three hours."

The What's On campaign - a 12-month programme of TV and print media advertisements - will specifically and separately target Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with adverts featuring New Zealand Samoan actor Robbie Magasiva - of Naked Samoans and Sione's Wedding fame - and Petra Bagust, of Hot Property and TV3's Travel Show.

A key theme is getting Australians out of the rat race to the mountains, bush, ocean, city and extreme sports of New Zealand for quick and frequent visits.

Media advertising will be backed by a special What's On website.

Advertisements will focus on seasonal attractions and the appeal of diverse regions within the country.

Wellington Tourism chief executive Tim Cossar said the regions welcomed the chance to market directly to Australia.

"This is the first time we've been able to access a national campaign in Australia," he said.

"We're excited about that proposition.

"For all of us Australia is our most important market and we want to leverage that at a regional level."

Hickton said that the 100% Pure campaign had seen Australian visitors increasing by 60 per cent, from 500,000 at the start of the campaign to 880,000. But TNZ wanted to change Australian perceptions of New Zealand travel more to the way in which New Zealanders viewed Australia.

While New Zealanders thought of holidays in terms of Noosa, Sydney or Melbourne, many Australians still saw New Zealand in terms of single, relatively long trips of a week or two.

"We want Australians to think of New Zealand in the same way as we think of Australia, to think of it in bite-sized chunks that they can visit frequently."

Hickton said the What's On campaign would continue beyond its initial year-long run.

Its success would be monitored by visitors' surveys and, for Hickton, that would mean a million visitors.