Tourism agency enlists Bollywood actors to woo Indian tourists

RNZ News

4 days ago

Actors and real-life couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa appear in a Tourism New Zealand campaign set in the country's top tourism sites.
Photo:
Supplied / Tourism New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand has launched a #BeyondTheFilter campaign in India to promote the South Pacific nation as an "authentic, less-crowded" destination for tourists.
Featuring Hindi actors and real-life couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa, the campaign comprises a five-part cinematic mini-series.
"The mini-series taps into the Indian consumer's growing appetite for authentic, unfiltered travel experiences that prioritise genuine connection and rejuvenation over curated social content," said a spokesperson for Tourism New Zealand, the agency responsible for promoting the country as a travel destination.
"The content showcases New Zealand's landscapes, unique experiences and culture, wellness offerings and cuisine while demonstrating the ease and appeal of autumn travel - highlighting cosy weather, settled conditions and fewer crowds - perfectly addressing the digital fatigue amongst our target audience.
"This aligns seamlessly with our global 100% Pure New Zealand brand focusing on connection and fulfilment."
Tourism New Zealand has engaged trade partners such as Thomas Cook to enhance package conversion, releasing the mini-series across all its channels and on partner platforms.
"To date, it has performed very well, with the launch event in Mumbai being attended by 33 media outlets, generating 379 million reach and 100 percent positive sentiment," the agency said.
It had earlier unveiled a
winter marketing campaign
in March in Mumbai that targeted Indian visitors.
Indian actor Rajkummar Rao
Photo:
Supplied / Tourism New Zealand
India is New Zealand's fifth-largest market.
According to Tourism New Zealand data, 81,400 visitors travelled from India in the year to 31 May.
"This was down 5.5 percent year on year but represents a 122 percent recovery compared to 2019 (pre-Covid) arrivals," the spokesperson said.
"Indian visitors are important to year-round visitation with 75 percent arriving outside the December-February summer period. On average, Indian visitors have a strong length of stay at 17 days, and 40 percent visit four or more regions."
Tourism New Zealand has identified India as a market that has a strong opportunity to convert into real visitation.
"India represents one of [Tourism New Zealand's] markets with enormous potential, with 14 million people in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru actively considering a trip to New Zealand," the spokesperson said. "However, the conversion to booking is low.
"The alignment between the Indian holiday period and our shoulder seasons creates a year-round tourism opportunity that benefits both destinations and visitors seeking authentic, less-crowded travel experiences.
"As part of our ongoing strategy to increase arrivals to New Zealand ... Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa were identified as relevant key opinion leaders within the market who can reach a significant number of people actively considering a trip to New Zealand," the spokesperson said.
In 2015, Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra was appointed as Tourism New Zealand's first ambassador for India.
Asked how the agency chose its ambassadors, the spokesperson for Tourism New Zealand said it "strategically selected high-profile advocates or influencers to support campaigns to grow the sector in New Zealand" from time to time.
"Advocates are trusted, liked and well-known people who share stories on our behalf and support authentic destination storytelling," the spokesperson said.