‘Have a Love Affair with Wellington’ is a Winner
 
It’s official, the whole country is having a love affair with Wellington. Last night Positively Wellington Tourism’s domestic marketing campaign, ‘Have a Love Affair with Wellington’, won the Tourism Marketing award in the Tourism and Transportation Services section at the New Zealand Tourism Awards, and also scooped Major Category Winner of that section.
 
“We set out to do something different with this campaign, something that was at the cutting edge of marketing, and that couldn’t be ignored. This award is a real testament to the effectiveness of the campaign, the hard work of our team and of the Wellington tourism industry,” says Positively Wellington Tourism CEO Tim Cossar.
 
Two other Wellington businesses also took top prizes at the awards. WMRA World Mountain Running Trophy 2005 – Sports Impact won the Innovation in Events, Meetings and Incentives category of the Innovation section, and was also its Major Category Winner.
Wellington Cable Car Museum won the Culture and Heritage Tourism award in the Visitor Activities and Attractions category. “We wish to extend our congratulations to these two Wellington tourism businesses, who are clearly leading the way in their fields,” Tim Cossar says.
 
The Tourism Industry Awards 2006 recognise and reward excellence in the New Zealand tourism industry. They represent the highest possible accolade for New Zealand tourism operators and are an opportunity to celebrate excellence and encourage continuous improvement in an ever-changing business environment.
 
‘Have a Love Affair with Wellington’ is Positively Wellington Tourism’s domestic marketing campaign, launched in June 2005. It came out of in-depth research into what Wellington needed to do to market itself as a leading tourism destination in New Zealand.
 
“Ten years ago Wellington hotels were virtually empty on the weekends. Now we have some of the highest occupancy rates in New Zealand. The latest data available shows that domestic tourism is worth $545 million to Wellington,” Tim says.
 
The campaign was developed in collaboration with advertising agency Clemenger BBDO, and the medium of television is central to its delivery.
 
“What became apparent is that we needed to appeal to the hearts and minds of New Zealanders,” Tim says. “We needed to sell them a dream, the idea of coming to Wellington and falling in love with the city. We then needed to follow this with a call to action, telling them how they could make this dream a reality.”
 
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast congratulated the team at Positively Wellington Tourism and Clemenger BBDO.
 
"This is an outstanding achievement.  Once again the creative spirit of Wellingtonians has come up trumps.  It is a very effective campaign, not only creating a sense of pride for all Wellingtonians, but letting other New Zealanders in on our own little secret - that Wellington is the best little city in the world and you just can't help falling in love with it," Mayor Prendergast says. 
 
The ‘Have a Love Affair with Wellington’ campaign is a joint venture between Positively Wellington Tourism, Air New Zealand, Te Papa and 18 Wellington hotels. “Collaboration and partnership underpins this entire campaign,” says Tim Cossar. “Te Papa, Air New Zealand and Wellington hotels all form an integral part of the Wellington visitor experience. No campaign marketing Wellington would ever be truly successful without the backing of these major players. We also acknowledge the huge support of the Wellington City Council, which continues to believe in the work we do, and complement it with New Zealand’s leading regional events programme.”
 
Te Papa Director of Marketing and Communications Paul Brewer also congratulated the team at Positively Wellington Tourism. “The vision and initiative behind this stunning, ground-breaking campaign is what sets Wellington apart from other regions. Te Papa is delighted to be associated with it, and congratulates Positively Wellington Tourism on its willingness to promote our exhibition programme to the whole of New Zealand through this excellent campaign.”
 
‘Have a Love Affair with Wellington’ is a comprehensive marketing campaign that aims to grow the Wellington weekend visitor market. Positively Wellington Tourism has been running a domestic marketing campaign for more than eight years.
 
ENDS
 

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