Christchurch takes supreme airport marketing award

Christchurch takes supreme airport marketing award

Christchurch International Airport Ltd received a prestigious international award for airport marketing, at the Routes Airport Marketing Awards in Hyderabad, India on Monday night.

The awards recognise the effort that CIAL has put into attracting new, and maintaining existing, airlines to Christchurch Airport, as part of its strategy to position the airport as New Zealand’s tourism gateway.

CIAL was presented with the Oceania Airport Marketing Award, defeating airports including Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney who were also finalists, and went on to win the supreme Asia Pacific Airport Marketing Award. Finalists for the supreme award included Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and other leading airports from throughout Asia Pacific.

Winning this award means that CIAL is one of four finalists now competing for the Global Airport Marketing award, to be decided in Beijing in September this year. Other finalists will be from the winners of the Europe, Africa and Americas awards.

Jim Boult, CIAL’s acting Chief Executive, said the awards were a great achievement for CIAL, particularly in an environment where most airports are focused on the retention of existing air routes, rather than the development of new airline services.

Mr Boult said a lot of credit for the award needed to go to CIAL’s airline partners.

“The airline relationships that our team have built are critical to our route development strategy. We work closely with airlines throughout the Asia–Pacific region.

“The awards recognise that Christchurch is a fantastic proposition for the development of new airline services, and we are committed to the further growth of these services into New Zealand’s tourism gateway,” he said.

The awards are judged on airport marketing, relationship management and route development strategies, and are presented following an airline voting process.

CIAL’s true point of difference is its overwhelming involvement in tourism marketing, through initiatives including the joint promotion of the South Island by working with airlines, tourism offices and wholesalers, ensuring tourist numbers continue to increase into the South Island.

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