MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2007

Tourism New Zealand Springs Into Action

Tourism New Zealand is claiming a first, using a host of technology to launch its Spring Pass for Australian visitors.

In a campaign launched this week, Tourism New Zealand will use text downloading, interactive billboards, WAP technology and “live” cinema adverts alongside traditional television commercials to attract Australian visitors to New Zealand.

“We believe it’s the first time a National Tourism Organisation has used technology to this extent to make contact with potential visitors,”Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said.

“We are seeing people using their telephones for news, sports and weather so why not travel?” Mr Hickton said.

Potential visitors downloading the Spring Pass will get offers sent to their phones and be guided to a newly created WAP site, as well as to www.newzealand.com, where hundreds of special spring travel deals will be featured.

Australian visitors can carry the downloaded Spring Pass on their phones to receive these deals once they arrive in New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand is using interactive billboards for the first time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Mobile phone owners with BlueTooth will receive a message from the electronic billboards as they pass offering them a taster of what’s on offer in spring, travel deals, rings tones and spring images.

Tourism New Zealand is also running “live” cinema advertisements in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, starting this weekend.

The way the ad works is that an actor appears on-screen with presenters Petra Bagust and actor Robbie Magasiva. The actor then walks off the screen and appears in the cinema, continuing to speak to Petra and Robbie on screen.

The Spring Pass is part of Tourism New Zealand’s “What’s On” Campaign, which was introduced in August one year ago to encourage Australians to see more of New Zealand and experience it at different times of the year.

The What’s On campaign has been widely supported by Regional Tourism Organisations across the country.

A demonstration of text downloading can be arranged for journalists.

Both the Spring What’s On campaign and APEC television commercials can be seen on tourismnewzealand.com. Click on “About Us” and follow the link to “100% Pure Campaign”.

ENDS