Kiwis are being encouraged to explore the Great Kiwi Road Trips between Auckland and Northland in a new joint marketing campaign by regional tourism operators (RTOs) Northland Inc and Auckland Unlimited in partnership with AA Traveller.

Country Roads, Kerikeri.  Photo credit: Pamela Edmonson

With long weekends and the school holidays coming up, the Great Kiwi Road Trips campaign showcases the highlights of 50-150km stretches of the Twin Coast Discovery Highway touring route in Northland and Auckland.

Delivered in partnership with well-known New Zealand travel experts AA Traveller, readers will be inspired by helpful self-drive itineraries and themed ‘top five’ lists for each journey, as well as the chance to win free fuel (up to 50 litres per prize). AA Members can also access discounts on accommodation, rental cars and campervan hire.

GM Destination for Northland Inc, Tania Burt, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with our neighbours on this marketing campaign and look forward to working with them on future projects that encourage visitation between the two regions. The Twin Coast Discovery Highway linking our regions provides a platform for ongoing collaboration and an important framework for the development of product, experiences, infrastructure and connection between communities.”

Auckland Unlimited’s General Manager Destination Steve Armitage said: “It is fantastic to see another campaign come to life with Northland that benefits both our regions. These are established highways that many may have driven before, but we hope this campaign educates and encourages Kiwis to travel them in new ways; to take their time and pause to discover new places to stay, eat, explore, and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.”

Greig Leighton, GM for AA Travel and Tourism, said it’s been great to join forces with Auckland Unlimited and Northland Inc. “At AA Traveller we strive to inspire Kiwis to get out and explore more of New Zealand. By highlighting the unique travel opportunities between these two regions we hope to encourage more people to get on the road and discover something new this autumn.”

The multi-channel campaign goes live on Wednesday 24 March across AA Traveller’s digital channels, e-comms, and AA Directions magazine, plus digital media.

The Twin Coast Discovery Highway routes were developed as part of the Twin Coast Discovery Revitalisation Project that began in 2016, designed to encourage visitors to take their time, slow down, see more and do more.

The two RTOs have a positive partnership anchored in an existing Memorandum of Understanding agreement that reflects the shared goals of supporting both regions’’ visitor economies.

The campaign is funded through the Government’s Strategic Tourism Assets Protection Programme and is one of the first Tourism-specific projects to be launched following the MOU between the two RTOs.

Itineraries and travel content can be found at https://www.aa.co.nz/travel/places-to-go/great-kiwi-road-trips/

© Scoop Media