News and photos of Hastings’ Lighting of the Osmanthus Gardens have spread like wildfire across China, after the main Chinese government news site published a story on it.

More than 18 regional news agencies across China went on to publish articles on the festival over the next 24 hours, reaching millions of people, Hastings District councillor and project director Kevin Watkins said on Sunday.

“It is absolutely fantastic as our new venture, The Amazing China Hastings Year of Tourism, picks up steam,” he said.

The publicity boom came in the same week that Minister of Tourism Kelvin Davis gave his official support to the Hastings tourism project, joining Tourism NZ and the Ministry of Business and Enterprise (MBIE).

New Zealand-based Chinese media brought crews to the gardens, sending images and the story back to China.

“The attention Hastings is getting through these projects is incredibly valuable,” said Mr Watkins.

The Amazing China Hastings Year of Tourism is being run by Hastings under the auspices of the national programme, The China New Zealand Year of Tourism 2019, signed by China’s Premier Li Keqiang’s and the New Zealand government in 2017.

Hastings’ project will see every one of China’s 30-plus regions invited to send Hastings a small ‘treasure chest’ containing something that uniquely represents their region. In return, Hastings District Council will send a gift representing Hastings.

“The tourism projects, both the national one and our Hastings version, are about increasing our economic relationship with China, through tourism and cultural understanding,” said Mr Watkins.

“China is already New Zealand’s second largest tourist group and we want to make sure they come to Hastings as part of their Kiwi adventure.

“We have an absolutely amazing region that we know tourists enjoy. Over the past 10 years, Chinese tourists have moved away from the traditional bus tour and now travel independently. We want to encourage them to come and spend some time exploring and staying in our region.”

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