More Than 60,000 Invited With Three Days to Go

More Than 60,000 Invited With Three Days to Go

Kiwis have just three more days to invite their friends and family to New Zealand as part of ‘The Great Kiwi Invite’ campaign.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says there has been an enormous response from New Zealanders to the campaign. “We are delighted to see so many New Zealanders so enthusiastic about promoting their country as a visitor destination.”

More than 60,000 Kiwis have already sent personalised invitations to their loved ones offshore, with around 30,000 people accepting the invites and going in the draw to win free flights to New Zealand.

To drive awareness of the campaign before it closes at 9am Thursday 27 August, TVNZ Breakfast presenter Tamati Coffey is touring New Zealand this week presenting live from popular tourist destinations.

His tour will take him from Mt Cook to Cape Reinga, via the Marlborough Sounds and Rotorua, before ending in Auckland. He will announce the winners of the free Air New Zealand flights live from the Auckland Viaduct i-SITE Visitor Centre on Friday morning.

George Hickton says the campaign has already been more successful than originally expected and Tamati Coffey’s ‘roadtrip’ will help further raise awareness.

“This campaign is about making the most of the passion New Zealanders have for their country and that good old Kiwi hospitality. Working with TVNZ to remind Kiwis why our visitors come here and what they love about New Zealand, will help inspire them to get there friends and family down here for a visit.

“We’re calling for Kiwis to be ambassadors for the country and help New Zealand’s economy during these tougher times. Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools we have," he says, "and New Zealanders are our best advocates."

The Great Kiwi Invite campaign was launched by Prime Minister John Key on 31 July. New Zealanders can go online to the campaign website, www.thegreatkiwiinvite.co.nz, and send a personalised invitation to friends and family offshore.

Those who accept the invitation will go in the draw to win one of 15 pairs of return tickets to New Zealand flying Air New Zealand.

In the year ended July 2009 there were more than 760,000 visitors in New Zealand who’d come to see their friends and family, up by 3.7 per cent on the previous year.

"This shows that despite the economic situation, people will still travel to visit their friends and relatives," says George Hickton.

www.thegreatkiwiinvite.co.nz

ENDS

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