New Zealand needs tourists right now, but locals say its newest campaign is cringeworthy and tone-deaf
The campaign targets Australians, who are key to New Zealand's tourism recovery post-pandemic.
Locals criticized the campaign's timing and its slogan, which some have called tone-deaf.
New Zealand's tourism sector needs a boost. But the country's latest ad campaign is getting attention for the wrong reasons.
"Everyone must go!" the government of New Zealand's latest tourism campaign reads. The roughly $287,000 (NZD 500,000) campaign, launched Sunday, is aimed at Australians, who make up 44% of the country's annual international tourists.
Australian tourism numbers to the island nation still haven't recovered entirely after the pandemic, sitting at 88% compared to 2019. And New Zealand's economy weakened overall in 2024, falling into a recession with the highest unemployment rate in nearly four years in November.
"What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we're open for business, there are some great deals on, and we'd love to see you soon," Tourism Minister Louise Upston said in a press release. "The campaign tagline of 'Everyone must go' lets Australia know that New Zealand is a 'must visit' destination, and that we're ready and waiting to welcome them now."
But locals see it differently. The timing of the campaign, which comes amid government job cuts and a large number of New Zealanders moving out of the country has many complaining that the slogan is tone-deaf — and referential to the bathroom.
"I think 'Everyone Must Go' might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous," Green Party Tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown told RNZ.
Brown and Labour's tourism spokesperson, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, agreed that the campaign lacks a long-term plan for the industry.
"I mean, it makes New Zealand sound like we're in a clearance bin at a sale," Tangaere-Manuel told RNZ. "The irony of that messaging is, that's how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now. There's been so many cuts, so people feel like 'well, what's not on the list of cuts'," Tangaere-Manuel added.
The government of New Zealand didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment about these critiques.
This isn't New Zealand's first effort this year to attract more tourists. On January 27, the government eased visa restrictions to allow digital nomads to work remotely in the country.
Roughly two weeks later, the government relaxed restrictions on golden visas, known as Active Investor Plus (AIP) visas, to make them more flexible in an effort to attract more investors to New Zealand.
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