With school holidays still in play, Christchurch is looking forward to the June-August break with a new campaign positioning the Aotearoa New Zealand city as a winter playground for families ahead of a forecast bumper snow season.
The Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waitaha Canterbury region expects its most lucrative winter season in a decade, pairing up with 30-plus partners for a ‘Winter Deals’ program of free add-ons and discounts.
The Winter Deals are designed to entice travellers to slow down, stay longer, explore the revitalised city centre and convert major fly-and-drive markets with discounts for families and groups.
With more than 12 ski areas and over 3,600m and 1,600ha of terrain within 90 minutes of Christchurch, the city is a gateway to snow and ski experiences.
Families are well catered for at Porters, the city’s closest ski area, along with easy access to Mt Hutt through to the more adventurous smaller resorts in the Selwyn region.
Stay close to the ski areas with on-mountain accommodation options, inclusive of catering and bunk-style lodging, at Mt Cheeseman, Broken River and Craigieburn Valley.
More air capacity to CHC
Christchurch Airport CEO Justin Watson said the South Island hub looks forward to a busy winter.
“Demand for travel to Christchurch and the South Island remains strong and key airlines have bolstered their services for the coming season,” he said.
“Both Qantas and Jetstar have increased their trans-Tasman services. Qantas has increased its capacity by 8.4 per cent while Jetstar has boosted its international capacity by 15.1 per cent with the CHC-MEL service up to five return flights per week.
“This all translates to fantastic access to Christchurch during the peak winter travel period and a potentially bumper ski season.”
For more info, head to christchurchnz.com/winter