New Zealand’s world-class cycle trails are calling Australians to cycle Aotearoa — slow down to nature’s pace and experience Kiwi hospitality, great food and stays along-the-way.
Cycle Aotearoa — announced in Taupō on Thursday, January 15 at the Hole in One Challenge by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston — is the latest government-funded tourism initiative designed to increase international visitor numbers, support hospitality growth and encourage tourists to discover regional Aotearoa New Zealand during off-peak seasons.
The $600,000 investment is part of the second round of the government’s Regional Tourism Boost, Tourism and Hospitality funding. It will support a digital marketing campaign targeting holiday makers in Australia running from April 1 until June 30, this year.
Destination Great Lake Taupō (DGLT) will be the lead marketing agency facilitating the Cycle Aotearoa project in partnership with other regional cycling destinations across the country and Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trails (NZCT) which promotes the 23 cycle trails designated as New Zealand’s Great Rides.
“It starts with a trail and a bike, but adventures on New Zealand’s ‘great rides’ offer a multitude of pleasures that include nature, foodie experiences and boutique stays – and the kind of relaxed nature-filled holidays that make great memories,” said Patrick Dault, DGLT general manager in a release following the announcement.
“There’s a lot to be said for slowing down to pedal pace and we’ll be looking to show how easy it is to do a leisurely cycling holiday in New Zealand. No need to bring your bike, hire one here – we’ve got everything in hand, and here’s how to book your no-hassle Kiwi break.”
Janet Purdey, chief executive NZCT said “this funding will enable us to position New Zealand as a world class cycling destination, raise awareness of our fantastic Great Rides' cycling infrastructure and encourage Australians to cross the ditch to enjoy a cycling holiday. Our key Australian market will be able to collect Great Rides at their own pace and spend much needed dollars in regional New Zealand.”
The campaign will target active leisure travellers interested in food, nature and short adventure experiences and looking to incorporate that into 1-3 day cycling experiences, Dault said.
“The goal is to connect visitors with a slow tourism proposition… at a time (April – June) when the weather is ideal and availability is plentiful,” he said.
At the announcement function Upston said that it was important that RTOs were collaborating,
“One of the things that's really important to me as the Minister is when we make every dollar go as far as possible, and the way to do that is to leverage funding from central government, local government, through RTOs and industry. And that's exactly what it's about today.”
Having nine hero regions involved in the Cycle Trail campaign – Taupō, Rotorua, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Tasman, West Coast, McKenzie, Otago – was quite unique, she said.
She was excited about it would do in terms of attracting even more visitors, not just from Australia, but the States and Canada.
Her target was to see visitor numbers get to 2019 levels by the end of the year.
“Which is ambitious, but we are tracking really well.”
DGLT chair Hayden Porter said people didn’t just turn up.
“We need, investment from the government, to make sure that the whole country can stand tall, but particularly us small regions,” he said.
The other initiatives in round two announced on January 15 include:
- A $1.2 million national campaign will encourage visitors from the USA and Canada to discover all corners of New Zealand, coordinated by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.
- A $1 million campaign to attract Australians from the eastern seaboard to our alpine and coastal regions within the central South Island, led by ChristchurchNZ.
- A $459,000 project to entice Australians from the Gold Coast to explore the lower South Island, delivered by Great South and seven associated Regional Tourism Organisations.
- A $459,000 initiative will welcome Australians from Sydney and the Gold Coast to the heart of the North Island via direct flights to Hamilton Airport, led by Hamilton & Waikato Tourism.
The NZ Government invests up to $8 million annually through NZCT for the maintenance, development and promotion of the nation’s Great Rides trail network, with the trails generating just under $1 billion in visitor expenditure annually.
The government wants to double trail-related visitor spend in the next decade.
