A Tourism New Zealand campaign to encourage New Zealanders to post something new about their summer travels on social media has used Wanaka’s Roys Peak summit as an example of what not to photograph.
Before the Covid crisis and the border lockdowns, Roys Peak was one of the most Instagrammed spots in New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand domestic manager Bjoern Spreitzer, said despite there being so many incredible things to do in Wanaka, Coromandel and everywhere in New Zealand, there are 69,864 photos on Instagram under #RoysPeak — many with the "summit spreadeagle" pose.
"We noticed that the same pictures or poses kept coming up, time and time again, no matter the location."
In the campaign, comedian Tom Sainsbury leads a fictional "Social Observation Squad" on a mission to get Kiwis sharing creative snaps of their domestic travels via #DoSomethingNewNZ, rather than copying often-replicated social media trends.
Mr Spreitzer said this new video built on the momentum of 100% Pure New Zealand’s "Do Something New, New Zealand" campaign launched last May and would continue until the end of February.
"Tourism is vital to New Zealand’s recovery and Tourism New Zealand is focused on encouraging New Zealanders to travel domestically, do something new.
"Word of mouth and recommendations from friends and family are highly influential and this campaign encourages New Zealanders to share more content about the range of amazing experiences New Zealand has on offer," he said.
Meanwhile, Central Otago's tourism industry is saying thank you to Kiwis for their support since July with a new gratitude-focused campaign.
Tourism Central Otago is releasing a series of short videos over the coming weeks featuring locals expressing thanks to people for choosing Central Otago for their holidays.
Tourism Central Otago general manager Dylan Rushbrook said data collected showed New Zealanders had been visiting Central Otago in record numbers.
"I remember early on when Covid-19 hit, there was genuine concern we would see tourism and hospitality businesses close and experiences like the Otago Central Rail Trail become compromised.''
There were predictions of a drop of 40% to 60%, he said.
"In actual fact, the most recent data shows that visitation to the region is only down 16% since July 2020 compared to the same time last year.
"It's a great illustration of just how incredibly well supported Central has been by the domestic market, and something we're so grateful for.''
The campaign reflected that.
"It is pretty typical of the people of Central Otago, humble and grateful to all those that support them,'' Mr Rushbrook said.
