Latest News from Tourism New Zealand

Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key announced yesterday that the 20 May budget announcement would include an additional NZD30 million in new funding for Tourism New Zealand.

The announcement was made in a speech to the New Zealand Hotel Industry Conference in Auckland.

John Key said tourism would play an important role in helping to build faster and sustainable economic growth for New Zealand.

"This investment is vitally important. It reflects my confidence in the industry to substantially increase the value of tourism to the New Zealand economy."

Of the NZD30 million allocated to Tourism New Zealand, NZD5 million would be set aside specifically for joint venture initiatives.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler said the funding boost was a vote of confidence for the tourism industry that would deliver tangible results.

"Additional funds will be invested in those markets and sectors where we see the greatest opportunity to drive growth and returns."

• Read the Prime Minister's media statement
• Read the speech from the Hotel Industry Conference

An audience of 3.9 million Americans saw New Zealand star in the two-hour season finale of America's Next Top Model last night.

A highlight of the final episode was an in-flight challenge in which contestants had to strut their stuff down the aisle of an Air New Zealand aircraft. There were also photo shoots in Glenorchy and Rakino Island's Hurakia Lodge, with the final runway show taking place at Auckland Museum.

Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand jointly hosted the America's Next Top Model judges, contestants and crew for three episodes of filming in November and December last year.

Visits to the US gateway of Tourism New Zealand's www.newzealand.com website have doubled since the first of these episodes was broadcast.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the project succeeded in raising awareness of New Zealand in our third-largest visitor market, and underlined the importance of partnerships in extending the value of marketing spend.

• Read more on our website

All of the market guides on our website have just been updated, with video updates from our regional management team offshore.

The guides include an overview of each market, updates on the economic situation and outlook for outbound travel, key visitor data and statistics, latest information on Tourism New Zealand's marketing work offshore, and advice on how to work successfully in these markets.

Find out more about regions and markets, and watch video updates:

• Australia
• Europe
• North America
• Japan
• North Asia including China and South Korea
• South East Asia including India, Singapore and Thailand

The New Zealand tourism industry’s biggest annual event is due to kick off in a week’s time.

More than 270 international travel buyers and 60 media will be among the 1,200 people that converge on Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds for Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand (TRENZ) from 24 to 27 May 2010.

This year, social media will be making it easy to keep up to date with what’s happening at TRENZ, whether you are able to make it to the event or not.

Tourism New Zealand is again hosting a PR expert from Canada, Ruth Atherley, who will blog live from the event. Building on content delivered from TRENZ 2009, the TRENZBlog will provide informative updates on products, exhibitors and other news from the event.

Attendees will also be able to keep up to date with what’s happening at the event through Twitter, with live updates to be posted by @TRENZ10 and @TNZNews throughout the four days.

• Read more on our website
• Exhibiting at TRENZ? Check out our hints and tips for trade show attendees

New Zealand 2011 will be part of the Tourism New Zealand stand at TRENZ this year.

The NZ 2011 office is developing a nationwide festival to complement the Rugby World Cup 2011 game and team hosting schedule. A business engagement programme is also being developed, which includes matching visiting business people with local hosts through the NZ 2011 Business Club.

Representatives from the team at NZ 2011 will be on hand throughout TRENZ to answer your questions about the Festival and other plans. They'll also be able to steer you in the right direction for answers to questions about the Major Events Management Act, and rights protection issues around RWC 2011.

So stop by and have a chat ... and check your delegate pack for a sample of what they are cooking up.

• The largest ever World Expo opened in Shanghai on 1 May. The New Zealand Pavilion is giving expo-goers a taste of our lifestyle, culture and natural environment. Read more on our website
   
• Visit our website to watch recent video highlights from Tourism New Zealand's international PR Opinion Leader's programme.
   
• A series of webisodes fronted by Australian television and radio personality Jules Lund is showcasing the Dunedin, Southland and Fiordland regions on YouTube. Funded in a joint-venture initiative between Tourism Dunedin, Venture Southland, Destination Fiordland and Tourism Dunedin, the webisodes are promoting the regions' unique landscapes and wildlife to Australian travellers. Watch the webisodes here
   
• Take a sneak peak at the trailor for Bollywood film I Hate Love Storys, which was partly filmed in New Zealand and is due for release in India this month. Read more about this project.
   
• Queenstown was last week named the favourite 'Outdoor and Adventure' destination of www.tripadvisor.com members in the travel website's 'Travelers' Choice 2010' awards. A number of other New Zealand destinations also featured among winners in the 'South Pacific' region.
   
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