August 29, 2011

Invite friends and family to visit Christchurch this Spring!

Christchurch residents are being urged to help the city’s tourism businesses by encouraging friends and family to come and visit the city this Spring.

In a show of support for Christchurch, Air New Zealand is shaving $50 off the cost of return airfares to the city from anywhere in the country over the next two months. Many of the city’s top attractions are also offering two for one deals in and around Christchurch.

To book, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz and quote promo code SAVE50B. The offer is available online from Tuesday 30 August until Friday 2 September for travel between 19 September and 6 November.

There is a reward in store for those who answer the tourism’s industry call for action. Anyone who invites friends and family to Christchurch through the Facebook site www.facebook.com/christchurchnz will go into the draw to win a night’s accommodation and dinner for two at the luxury George Hotel.

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism hopes the offer will encourage more people to visit the region and wants Christchurch residents to lend their support to the initiative by inviting friends and family to join them in the Garden City for a few days.

“Our visitor numbers have been down since February’s quake and it’s been a challenging few months for many of our tourism operators, many of whom had expected Spring to be very busy because of the Rugby World Cup,” says Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter.

“Obviously with Christchurch losing its hosting rights we’re not going to see the same number of visitors here as we had expected prior to the quakes, but we’re hoping this attractive fare offer by Air New Zealand will persuade people who have got friends and family in Christchurch to jump on a plane and come visit.

“Nearly all of the city’s major visitor attractions and services are operating as normal and there is still a great range of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes for people to enjoy. The gardens are looking spectacular at this time of year too, so there will be plenty to see and do while they’re here,” Mr Hunter says.

The Press newspaper and key local radio stations are supporting the campaign and will be encouraging readers and listeners to roll out the welcome mat for friends and family.

“The more friends and family we can persuade to visit the better it will be. It will not only provide a welcome boost for our tourism industry but it would be a great morale boost for those who have endured so much over the past 12 months to have friends and family from outside of the city come visit for a while,” says The Press’ general manager Andrew Boyle.

“We want the whole of Christchurch to get behind this initiative to stimulate travel to the region by inviting friends and family for a visit. Having a strong tourism industry is vital to the well-being of our economy so it is in all our interests that the industry gets back on a solid footing as quickly as possible,” Mr Hunter says.

ENDS

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