Tourism New Zealand is the national institution tasked with promoting New Zealand as a tourism destination internationally. It is the trading name of the New Zealand Tourism Board,[1] a Crown entity established under the New Zealand Tourism Board Act 1991. It is the marketing agency for New Zealand, while the New Zealand Ministry of Tourism is the government department tasked with policy and research.
New Zealand was the first country to dedicate a government department to tourism, when in 1901, the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts came into being. Through most of the 20th century, its role was tactical - it ran hotels and put together itineraries around New Zealand as well as advertising.[2] After reorganisation and the selling off of assets in the late 1980s, the organisation, as Tourism New Zealand, now focuses on marketing of New Zealand.[3]
Its main marketing tool is the award-winning "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign, which had its ten year anniversary in 2009. The campaign uses advertising, events, the internet and work with international trade and media to get the 100% Pure NZ message across to potential visitors.
To achieve the best efficiency, from limited resources, the campaign is mainly directed to travellers who will enjoy the New Zealand experience the most, who are most likely to "enjoy the authenticity of the New Zealand experience" and are willing to pay for quality experiences.
Recent activities (2007) have included a NZ$7 million campaign in China, concentrating on Shanghai[4], cooperating to produce a New Zealand tourism layer for Google Earth, the first country to receive such a treatment[5], and placing a Giant Rugby Ball venue in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.[6]
The Rugby Ball subsequently was sited in London and visited by the Queen.[7]
Tourism New Zealand also took over YouTube homepage in 2007, to launch the latest iteration of its 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, featuring the theme of New Zealand being the 'Youngest Country' in the world - the last major habitable landmass to be discovered.[8]
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