In the United States, we're encouraging visitors to experience wellness, New Zealand style. Studio New Zealand positions Aotearoa as a destination where visitors can indulge in wellness while grounding themselves in the sand, listening to native birdsong and understanding wellbeing through a Te Ao Māori lens, where wellbeing is understood through the interconnectedness of people, nature and place.
The campaign is tapping into a significant opportunity and consumer insights that shows while Americans want to prioritise wellness, many are overwhelmed by health and wellness advice. We’re showing that in New Zealand, nature does the heavy lifting. US visitors spent $2.18 billion in New Zealand in the year to June 2026, while arrivals reached 387,000 in the year to July.
We’re also working with wellness journalist and podcaster Liz Moody alongside other content creators to get the message out there that Studio New Zealand is the place to reset. This activity rolls out from today.
And it turns out that Aotearoa looks almost looks too good. Since the launch, we’ve had questions asking if the hero video is AI. We’re proud to confirm this is 100% New Zealand.
_____________________________________________________
To grow visitor arrivals, encourage longer stays, and inspire travellers to explore more regions, Tourism New Zealand is now working with Expedia to promote New Zealand in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom over a multi-year agreement. As one of the world's largest travel platforms, Expedia reaches millions of travellers throughout the holiday planning journey, from inspiration and trip planning through to booking—so New Zealand can show up where travellers are making booking decisions. We already have destination content live to help drive arrivals through to December, and early next year we will launch a co-developed campaign with them, so watch this space. We’ll share more about the partnership as it progresses.
_____________________________________________________
Finally, October marked the start of another busy cruise season for New Zealand. This season is expected to bring 642 port calls, more than 223,000 passengers and almost 97,000 crew members to our shores. These visits deliver benefits to many communities and provide an opportunity to share Aotearoa New Zealand with international visitors. Tourism New Zealand supports the cruise industry through building destination New Zealand’s brand, supporting cruise marketing and trade activity, particularly in North America, and partnering with New Zealand Cruise Association and the wider sector to strengthen New Zealand’s cruise proposition.
|
