Tourism deals turn the Wellington Region into a wonderland
Exploring the
Wellington region is now even easier thanks to deals being
offered by local tourism businesses and experiences in
Wellington city, Porirua, Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and the
Wairarapa.
Explore Wellington is an online platform created that offers 22 tourism experiences and activity deals such as special offers on ferry tickets, Wellington Zoo and bike hire.
It is part of WellingtonNZ’s broader visitor attraction campaign targeting whānau across the Wellington region as well as visitors from the top of the South Island, and those in drive-time regions of Manawatu, Whanganui, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki.
All 22 deals sit behind individual doors of an advent calendar-style illustration created by local artist Dean Proudfoot. It depicts what makes the Wellington region such a special place to live and visit. Click on any deal before August 31 and it gets sent to your inbox or downloaded to your smartphone.
Since the soft launch of Explore Wellington on Monday 13 July, 2,364 vouchers have been downloaded. The most popular offers so far are East by West Ferry, Wellington Zoo, Ngā Manu Nature Reserve and Fryday Donuts.
WellingtonNZ General Manager Anna Calver says Explore Wellington has a dual purpose: to support local tourism operators struggling with the closure of our international borders; and provide good value deals for locals and domestic visitors to enjoy.
“Before lockdown, international visitors were worth about $1 billion to the regional economy. That has been stopped in its tracks, which is hurting local tourism operators.
“Explore Wellington provides great deals to tempt more locals and domestic visitors to experience what the region has to offer. There’s something for everyone from nature excursions, cycling hires and even opportunities to enjoy a delicious free donut, coffee or bagel as part of some deals.
“The 22 tourism deals were put together with families in mind, perfect for the school holidays and beyond, but there’s also plenty there for couples and groups of friends to enjoy.”
According to the latest MBIE data, electronic card spending by domestic visitors and locals in the Wellington region increased by 2.2 per cent in the four weeks ending 12 July 2020, compared to the same time last year. However, the increase wasn’t felt evenly across all sectors with tourism operators in particular missing out.
Explore Wellington, along with five other WellingtonNZ domestic tourism campaigns currently in the market, will have fed the spending increase to some extent but available data doesn’t reveal that sort of detail.
The online platform used for Explore Wellington utilised existing technology designed for WellingtonNZ’s annual Christmas Advent Calendar which will return in December.
The platform features 22
deals:
1. Kāpiti Island Eco Tours - Two
children tickets free for every adult ticket
purchased
2. Brewtown - Get one free kid's meal with
every adult's meal at Aro Bar
3. Cycle Remutaka - Free
return shuttle with any Kaitoke Bike Hire
4. Staglands -
Get a free animal food bag with every family
entry
5. East by West Ferry - Buy one return ticket, get
one free
6. Wellington Zoo Buy one Adult admission, and
receive a Child admission for free
7. Capital
Personalised Tours - Get 15% off a Kapiti Day tour
8. Get
Fixed Bicycle Café - Buy two full-day bike hires, get two
free coffees and bagels
9. Zozo Tours - Buy two, get one
free Petone Taste Buds Tours
10. Adrenalin Forest - Buy
two adult entries, and a child climbs free
11. Ngā Manu
Nature Reserve - Get a family admission for $30
12. Green
Jersey Cycle Hire - For every full-day Martinborough Bike
Hire, get a free coffee from Neighbourhood Café
13. Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre - Buy one Adult
entry pass, and receive a Child entry pass for
free
14. Stonehenge Aotearoa - Buy one Adult entry pass,
and receive a Child entry pass for free
15. Green Jersey
Cape Palliser Coastal Explorer Tour - Buy 3 tours, get 1
half-price
16. Seal Coast Safari - Get a private Seal
Coast Safari for up to 4 people for just
$350
17. Zealandia - 25% off ZEALANDIA by Night tours
when you book 4 or more people
18. Fryday Donuts - Buy
three donuts and get one free
19. Weta Workshop - Get a
free mini epic collectible with every tour
booking
20. Switched on Bikes – Get a free burger at
Chocolate Fish café with every full or half day e-bike
hire
21. Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand - Buy
one Māna Māori tour, get one free
22. Martinborough
Wine Tours - Buy a Martinborough Wine Tour, get a $20
voucher for Martinborough Wine
Merchants