In preparation for the new direct Auckland to New York service, which begins on September 17, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand are launching a joint campaign in the US and Canada today to showcase Aotearoa and encourage North American travellers to book a holiday in New Zealand.
The campaign features a special offer for flights to Auckland in the low and shoulder seasons, with the option to add on a visit to any one of Air New Zealand’s twenty domestic destinations.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says, “With the New Zealand borders now fully reopened to the world, a thriving tourism industry is important for both New Zealand and Air New Zealand. By launching new marketing activity in the US, we’re doing all we can to remind travellers that New Zealand and all its regions is a beautiful place to visit, any time of year.”
“We’re excited to be kicking off our first three-way joint venture campaign since 2019 and reinvigorating our partnership with United Airlines in North America, extending Air New Zealand’s network in the region.”
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive René de Monchy says, “The return of travellers to New Zealand and the recovery of air links from important markets such as North America is an important step for the tourism sector.”
“We’re able to join forces with Air New Zealand, so that destination New Zealand attracts high-quality visitors from this important market. The campaign will encourage visitors to travel more widely around Aotearoa New Zealand to accelerate and support the sector’s recovery,” he says.
Geraghty adds, “We’ve been flying to the US for more than 50 years – it’s an incredibly important market for us. It’s fantastic to see that over the next few months and leading into Christmas, flight loads are performing really well and by summer (in New Zealand), seat capacity will be back to around 85% of pre-Covid levels.”
“To solidify this position, in just five days, Air New Zealand will for the first-time touch down at John F. Kennedy International Airport, making the non-stop Auckland – New York service the airlines seventh US port.
“And to demonstrate our commitment to the Canadian market and due to an increase in demand, we’re excited to announce we’ll commence a daily service between Auckland and Vancouver.”
Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand have extended an existing MoU that will enable this and other activities over the next three years.
For more, head to www.airnewzealand.com.au
