Tourism New Zealand hits the road

Tourism New Zealand’s Mobile Movie Studio has hit the road for the country’s summer months allowing visitors from the UK to send messages home to their friends and family via video diary. The initiative is believed to be a first in tourism marketing enabling travellers to share their travel experiences through social networking.

From Cape Reinga in the far north to The Catlins in the deep south, the tourism organisation’s roving recording studio is visiting a total of 50 tourist hotspots from now until April, inviting travellers at every stop to come onboard and have their say.

Visitors will film a personal message about their travels which will then be edited by the crew, together with their own photography and footage into a digital holiday scrapbook and posted instantly on to YouTube - youtube.com/purenzhaveyoursay.

The personalised films will also be available via a unique page on newzealand.com/whatdoyousayuk and an email will be generated and sent out to their family and friends with a link to the message. The holiday videos can also be uploaded to Facebook.

Thousands of video diaries will be captured over the three month period. The 100% Pure New Zealand ‘Have your Say’ Studio is fast becoming a talking point in each town it visits. Travellers are queuing up for the chance to rave about their summer holiday in New Zealand to those back in the UK experiencing chillier climes.

Gregg Anderson, Tourism New Zealand’s Regional Manager UK and Europe comments:

“The new service is all about harnessing new technology and marketing through social networking in a way which will allow people to talk immediately to those at home about their holiday experiences in New Zealand.

“Initial feedback from the touring studio is very positive. Visitors are really enjoying being able to connect to those back home and share their travel tales. With airlines currently offering great deals on flights to New Zealand, some for under £600, it is the perfect time to be showcasing our New Zealand summer online and enticing more Brits to join their friends and family,” continued Anderson.

To find out where the studio will be next go to Newzealand.com for the full itinerary as it travels from Northland, back down to the Coromandel and through to the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty regions this month. February will see the truck move from Eastland right down to Hanmer Springs in New Zealand's South Island. In March the studio will continue south via Christchurch, Dunedin, Fiordland and Queenstown, and in April it will visit Wanaka, the West Coast of the South Island and Nelson before returning to the North Island and finally, Auckland.

This initiative is the second phase of the ‘What Do You Say UK?’ campaign which saw real British holidaymakers star in a series of new television commercials in September 2008.

To view a few of the video diaries which have already been recorded go to Newzealand.com/whatdoyousayuk.