Activity in Japan results in boost for destination New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand’s recent activity helped to increase the number of Japanese people who have New Zealand as their number one holiday destination.

The “Great Tabipa Land, New Zealand!” campaign ran from April to June. The activity included two high profile Japanese advocates, Juri Ueno and Hayato Sano, and focused on the Japanese concept of Tabipa highlighting the high-value, emotionally rich travel experiences that visitors can experience many times during a trip to Aotearoa.​  
 
It included three short films showcasing relaxing hot pools in Rotorua, our starry night sky in Tekapo, and New Zealand’s delicious food and wine in Central Otago. These represent iconic experiences and strong motivational drivers for Japanese consumers. 
 
The campaign generated around 730 pieces of news coverage in Japan, including television, resulting in $16 million NZD in estimated advertising equivalent, the amount Tourism New Zealand would have had to spend to reach the same number of consumers. 
  
The campaign focused on growing desire for destination New Zealand in Japan. Prior to the activity, 44% of the pool of Japanese people seriously considering a holiday to New Zealand had it as their most preferred destination, and this increased to 49.8%*. 
  
“As our eighth largest market for visitor arrivals, Japan is an important market for New Zealand. It’s great to see this campaign has strengthened the desire for destination New Zealand among visitors thinking of travelling here,” Tourism New Zealand General Manager International Angela Blair said. 
 
“Despite challenges like a weak yen and rising inflation hampering travel for some Japanese, Tourism New Zealand remains focused on maintaining desire for destination New Zealand, so we are well-positioned for when Japanese travel demand rebounds. 
 
Japanese arrivals to New Zealand have recovered to 68.5% of pre-covid numbers, this compares to 61.1% recovery of the total Japanese outbound travel market, showing New Zealand is still high on the list for many Japanese. Between April 2023 and April 2024, 60,200 Japanese travellers visited New Zealand(opens in new window), spending $167.5 million here. Visitors from Japan are looking to get in touch with nature, experience beautiful landscapes, eat local cuisine, and relax in New Zealand. 

*Measurement in July 2024.