Courtney said the new partnership between Flight Centre and Tourism New Zealand aimed to build on existing awareness and connections in the four target countries.
“They’re four of our strongest leisure markets that we operate in.”
The campaign also aimed to boost visitor numbers in the “shoulder” season around peak tourist times.
December, January and February usually had the highest tourism numbers, and July tended to be busier than other months in the middle of the year.
Courtney said data showed many visitors from the four chosen countries made repeat visits to New Zealand.
She said many Canadians, South Africans, Australians and Britons viewed New Zealand as a key destination.
“We are targeting predominantly Flight Centre brand, which is a pretty mass-market brand in terms of the customers that we attract,” Courtney said.
“Tourism New Zealand have been working with our luxury brands as well, but it’s really around targeting all customers.”
The group includes Travel Associates, Cruiseabout, Cruise Club, BYOjet, and Aunt Betty.
Courtney told the Herald that airline capacity was a key issue affecting tourism growth potential.
“The biggest challenge we’ve probably still got is across the Tasman ... It varies during the year with seasonal flights, but really, we’re only back to about 90% of our pre-Covid capacity.”
Air New Zealand has faced aircraft shortages due to some Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce engine maintenance issues.
Its chief executive, Greg Foran, previously described the situation as akin to being a league team with players “in the sin bin”.
But the airline has indicated it is making progress, with a new Christchurch to Adelaide service announced in June.
“We know that both Qantas and Air New Zealand have added capacity across the Tasman, but it’s still not up to the levels it needs to be,” Courtney said.
“There are similar challenges with capacity in and out of Asia, which then has a knock-on effect to getting up to Europe.”
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) in June said aircraft deliveries were 30% behind their peak levels.
Iata said the global aircraft backlog was at a record high of 17,000 and could take three to five years to resolve.
Tourism NZ chief executive Rene de Monchy said the agency would tap into Flight Centre’s global customer network.
He also said more international air capacity was crucial for achieving tourism growth.
The partnership is expected to run for three years.
Meanwhile, Courtney said the Government was showing initiative to drive tourism, but some foreign visitors faced high costs and fees.
In June, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston announced $13.5 million in extra funding for Tourism NZ.
Courtney said there was room for New Zealand to improve its performance in other markets, especially India and China.
Another debate related to charging foreign tourists a $20 to $40 fee to visit some of the country’s most popular sites.
Courtney said there was obviously a cost to ensuring preservation of the environment.
But she said New Zealand, with its geographical isolation, was already a fairly expensive place for tourists to come to.
“As much as possible, we need to try and ensure that we keep New Zealand as competitive as we can with other destinations.”
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
