New tourism campaign flys in New Zealand

A new tourism campaign will encourage New Zealand visitors to escape the cold winter and soak up the warmth of a Sunshine Coast holiday.

Sunshine Coast Destination Limited (SCDL) and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) worked in partnership to produce the innovative marketing campaign, filmed using state-of-the-art drones.

SCDL CEO Simon Ambrose said the marketing push is one of the largest for the destination in New Zealand to date.

“The theme of the campaign leverages the Sunshine Coast’s ‘Naturally refreshing’ brand and provides a birds-eye-view of the destination’s natural attractions including Noosa National Park, Pumicestone Passage, Glass House Mountains and Carlo Sandblow.

“Our research tells us people are not aware of the scale of natural icons and experiences they can enjoy on the Sunshine Coast.

"We want this campaign to educate and inspire New Zealand visitors to go beyond our superb beaches and explore the region’s stunning natural attractions.”

Mayor Mark Jamieson said that with New Zealanders continuing to enjoy improved direct access to the Sunshine Coast he expected to meet even more Kiwis enjoying the delights of the area.

“There’s no doubt that Kiwis have a distinct affinity with our vision to be Australia’s most sustainable region – vibrant, green, diverse,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“Our visitors from across the Tasman love our warm winters because they can get outdoors to enjoy our region’s natural beauty, our friendly and relaxed lifestyle and choose from an outstanding range of accommodation and tourism options.”

TEQ CEO Leanne Coddington said the campaign perfectly positions the Sunshine Coast’s tourism assets under the ‘Naturally refreshing’ brand.

“New Zealand visitors make up a large portion of holidaymakers to the Sunshine Coast, and this campaign will reinforce the Sunshine Coast as a premier holiday destination as New Zealand’s cooler weather sets in,” Ms Coddington said.

The region welcomed more than 60,000 New Zealand visitors, to the year ending September 2014, an 18.4% increase (compared to 2013).

The campaign was launched in Australia in late 2014 and started screening in New Zealand on television from yesterday.

It will also run across digital platforms and in print.

To view the television advertisement or learn more about the campaign: www.visitsunshinecoast.com.au/vacationmigration.