Development West Coast was part of two successful applications that received funding from the Regional Tourism Boost Fund. One, alongside central South Island regions and a separate application with the Top of the South (TOTS) regions. Both of these campaigns are now in market and are designed to raise awareness, drive engagement, and ultimately increase visitation from Australia.
Winter Different
Central South Island
‘Winter Different’ encourages Australian visitors to think differently about their winter getaway, soaking up all the adventure, relaxation and unique experiences the chilly season has to offer in New Zealand’s picturesque Central South Island. This campaign was originally scheduled to finish on 30 June however due to strong performance of the Meta ads it was able to be extended for an additional 2 weeks.
From 8 May to 30 June (the original end date), the campaign has delivered strong results against our initial targets and has exceeded targets in most measures. July results (1 - 16 July) will be reported on in the final campaign wrap up.
Campaign performance
Impressions - 25.9M
Landing page views - 70.6K
Click through rate - 0.9%
Website performance
Impressions - 19.4M
Clicks - 30,500
Total website users - 62,769
Webjet data highlights
The Webjet flight deal partnership delivered fantastic results with YoY increases in both May and June.
8 May – 31 May
2024 – 674 pax into chch
2025 – 739 pax into chch
Up 10% YoY
1 – 31 June
2024 – 723 pax into chch
2025 – 1,701 pax into chch
Up 135% YoY
Average length of stay - 8 nights
Luxury Escapes
Top of the South
As part of our campaign with Luxury Escapes, the Top of the South (TOTS) campaign continues to gain valuable exposure across Australia. The first of two themed eDMs was sent to Luxury Escapes’ database of approximately 2 million subscribers, supported by both organic and paid social media content, as well as digital amplification through search engine optimisation.
The second eDM, distributed in July, highlighted 5 Underrated Road Trips in the South Island—tailored for families, food and wine lovers, outdoor adventurers, relaxation seekers, and couples.
Featured headlines included:
8 Ways This Underrated New Zealand Region Will Surprise You
The Top of the South: See New Zealand Like a Local
5 Underrated Road Trips in New Zealand’s South Island
There has also been a roll out of a second series of Instagram stories on the Luxury Escapes IG account with a call to action to discover more through a link on both the opening and closing story. See example on the right.
In addition, TOTS has been featured in Issue 9 of Dream magazine (pages 40–41), published both in print and online.
Dream Magazine editorial
Luxury Escapes IG story on TOTS