Aussies offered more ‘magical’ winter adventures in NZ

More magical winter adventures are being offered to Australians as Tourism New Zealand's successful annual ski campaign kicks into gear.

Tourism New Zealand has partnered with the Ski Tourism Marketing Network (Ski TMN) and Air New Zealand to encourage Australians to discover more magical days, nights and adventures with friends ‒ and drive visitor arrivals from this key market.

"This is the third year for the 'more magic in every day' theme, which has proven to be very effective in enticing Australians to travel to New Zealand for a winter holiday experience," says Tony Saunders, TNZ's General Manager - Australia.

"This year's campaign, running from 13 April-30 June, will take that proposition one step further as we work to attract occasional winter holiday makers and skiers with the many other attractions New Zealand has to offer in addition to snow activities."

TNZ and Air New Zealand's joint online activity is being run in conjunction with media activity across Australia, with the aim of driving visitors to the dedicated ski hub on newzealand.com. The hub also highlights other New Zealand experiences that can complement snow activities.

New Zealand South Island ski and snow holidays have been on the increase for Australians since 2005. Over the last decade arrivals have grown significantly, especially direct arrivals into Queenstown during the winter peak months from July to September.

In response to the winter demand, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have announced they will operate an additional 40,000 seats to and from Queenstown over the peak winter period, while Jetstar and Qantas have also each announced extra seasonal flights between Sydney and Queenstown.

TNZ's research shows Australian ski and snow visitors are more likely to be on their first visit to New Zealand, indicating that ski and snow activities work well in attracting new visitors to our country. Many will weave other activities into their ski and snow holiday, such as adventure, luxury, and food and wine activities.

"Australia is New Zealand's largest international market for ski and snow sports, with approximately 16 per cent of Australian visitors skiing while on holiday in New Zealand. Holiday arrivals from Australia continue to peak during the winter season and our aim is to ensure this trend continues," says Tony.