The Southern Airports Alliance — Queenstown, Invercargill, and Dunedin airports, and the eight southern regional tourism organisations (RTOs) — have come together to try to boost tourism, a statement from the group says.
Under the banner of "Southern Way", the organisations and airports have formed a ground-breaking partnership to make it easy for people to explore the lower half of the South Island.
Supported by Air New Zealand, the initiative encourages visitors to use the airline’s multi-stop booking tool to fly into one of the three airports, rent a vehicle to explore the region, then fly out of another airport.
"One trip to see it all" is the slogan for the campaign, which builds on the work of the eight RTOs in the lower South Island to promote longer-stay, lower-impact itineraries.
A Southern Way page on the Air New Zealand website is offering itinerary suggestions and inspiration to assist people to plan and book a trip that suits their timeframes and interests.
"We’re excited by the opportunities this opens up, and we believe there are real benefits for everyone in spreading visitors widely around the region, rather than having them concentrated in a few hotspots," Queenstown Airport acting chief executive Todd Grace said.
"This is a meaningful way of supporting the regenerative tourism aspirations of our community and the lower south alongside Dunedin and Invercargill airports."
"This supports the aspirations of our communities for how tourism is managed which is at the core of each of the Destination Plans we are working to" Southern Way project manager Sanae Herd said.
"Our communities have told us that they want to see tourism developed and managed to deliver longer stay, lower impact visitation that shares cultural and economic benefits across the wider regions.
"All of the RTOs involved are excited to have Air New Zealand and the Southern Airports Alliance fully engaged with this approach and working with us to facilitate visitors moving more widely around the regions and thereby reducing the risks of overcrowding and pressure points."
Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said visitors who booked a Southern Way itinerary would be spoilt for choice.
"Dunedin itself is full of amazing attractions, from its renowned heritage buildings to rare wildlife. From there, visitors can travel through Waitaki, Clutha, Central Otago, or down to Southland."
Invercargill Airport chief executive Stuart Harris was also excited by the possibilities created by one-way travel and hopes it will entice more visitors to New Zealand’s southernmost city.
"There are so many surprises for people to discover here. Southland has some stunning scenery and the open-jaw itinerary encourages visits to the beautiful Catlins, Rakiura, and Riverton."
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the campaign illustrated how easy it was to book a road trip holiday, using the airline’s multi-stop booking tool.
"The Southern Way is the perfect example of how travellers can fly into one airport, and fly out of another, getting to experience multiple destinations in the one trip.
"To make the journey even smoother, customers can even book their rental car through us at the same time as booking their flights, and earn air points dollars on the hire."
