Do Winter Different – ChristchurchNZ.com

“Otautahi Christchurch sits at the heart of a diverse region of destinations, including ski fields and accessible mountains, National Parks and character towns. ExploreCHC is about showcasing this offering, and what there is to do before and after a day on the slopes,” Heaphy said.

“The global pandemic has made the last year tough for our tourism operators, the whole sector has taken a huge hit. We’re excited to reintroduce our region to the domestic and Australian market, and help to boost winter visitor spending across Canterbury and the West Coast.”

For the year ending January 2020 (pre-Covid), more than 250,000 Australians began their South Island exploration at Christchurch International Airport and spent more than $275m. This represented 47 per cent of all international arrivals during that period.

“The Trans-Tasman bubble opens up a huge proportion of the visitor market to the South Island, especially during winter. Australians tend to spend more than domestic visitors when they’re here, and stay for longer,” Heaphy said.

ExploreCHC Do Winter Different was a partnership between RTOs in Mackenzie, Mid Canterbury, Selwyn, Hurunui, Kaikōura and the West Coast, as well as Christchurch International Airport.

It includes written and digital content distributed across multiple channels, and includes dozens of local businesses. Organic and sponsored content, and targeted advertising in the domestic and Australian market, will form a large part of the work.