Ruapehu part of $900k digital winter campaign in Australia

Ruapehu part of $900k digital winter campaign underway in Australia.

The profile of Ruapehu as a winter holiday destination in Australia is getting another significant boost from a digital Ski NZ campaign currently being undertaken by Tourism New Zealand.

For the first time Tourism New Zealand is promoting all major ski regions - Ruapehu, Canterbury and the Southern Lakes together to the Australian skier market.

Visit Ruapehu Trade and Marketing Manager Jo Kennedy said that the $900k campaign was promoting New Zealand as a winter holiday destination built around a skiing experience.

“Coming on top of the successful 2017 “Stay Taupo - Visit Ruapehu” campaign and this year's “Winter Touring” campaign the profile of Ruapehu as a first choice winter holiday destination in Australia has never been higher,” she said.

“Ruapehu’s growing profile has stimulated strong interest from leading Australian travel wholesalers keen to promote Ruapehu skiing and the wider region as a holiday destination.

This has led to an increased Ruapehu presence in travel brochures and consumer activity targeting Australian skiers.

The Tourism NZ Ski NZ campaign highlights the variety of experiences at North and South Island ski areas, as well as off-mountain experiences unique to each region which differentiate New Zealand from key competitors.”

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall says: “Positioning New Zealand as a winter destination that’s as good as it gets is in line with our key strategies of attracting visitors outside the peak season summer months and beyond the main tourist centres.

It is valuable to be able to work with the ski industry in a collaborative way that allows us to create a more aligned and focused approach across the regions. The industry goal is to have 2m skier days by 2020 and campaigns like this are a significant contribution to achieving that goal.

We want Australians to see that while you may come here for one particular activity, like skiing, there is so much more to experience and that with everything so close, they will be spoiled for choice.”

Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron said that the cumulative success of these campaigns highlighted the importance of taking a long term strategic approach to the development of Ruapehu's tourism sector.

"Traditionally there has been a very low visibility and awareness of Ruapehu and the North Island as a ski destination in Australia,” he said.

“Through working collaboratively with regional partners, national operators and government we are turning this around and establishing Ruapehu as a ‘bucket list’ ski destination for Aussies to experience.

The significance and value of this for Ruapehu is enormous.

The Tourism NZ Ski NZ campaign is putting Mt Ruapehu alongside Queenstown, Wanaka and Christchurch ski areas as a compelling option to millions of Australians – NZ’s largest international ski market.

What is really exciting is that we are managing to fill the shoulder seasons and mid-week periods with high value Australian tourists who are keen to look around and pay to experience things.”

Supporting information
Australians make up the majority (64%) of international visitors who ski while they are in New Zealand.
• Ski visitors tend to stay a little longer (18 days) than the average visitor (16 days).
• Skiers that visit New Zealand tend to come back - with 54% returning.
• Skiers have an excellent visitor experience with strong satisfaction (9.1 out of 10) and are likely to recommend New Zealand as a destination.
• View an infographic containing more information about ski visitors.
• View Tourism New Zealand Ski NZ campaign video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cac-qgyZ3S0&feature=youtu.be

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