‘Pretty Great, Actually’ entices visitors to “tackle a mighty West Coast adventure, or settle in for a whole lot of nothing.”
Development West Coast (DWC) Destination and Tourism Manager Patrick Dault says the new summer campaign is in typical low key West Coast fashion.
“It’s understated and smacks of subtle Coast humour, reflecting the people behind the place.
“In a highly complex and busy world saturated with noise, the West Coast provides calm and sanity that should resonate with potential visitors.”
The campaign includes a series of quirky videos showcasing that the West Coast has “pretty great holidays for absolutely everyone.”
One video says there are “loads of things to do or not”, showing someone relaxing on a hammock with the Paparoa National Park’s stunning limestone cliffs and nikau palms in the background.
Dault says on the West Coast you can explore New Zealand’s highest mountains, heli-hike on gigantic glaciers, jet boat into world-heritage wilderness or hunt for rare treasures deep underground, or not.”
“If an action-packed holiday isn’t your thing, or you’re an adventure seeker needing to slow down, there are plenty of other pretty great options in our untamed natural wilderness.
“You could just stay still and soak in natural hot pools, cosy up in cliff-top hideaways or retreat into luxury in a luscious rainforest.”
The campaign is targeted towards the domestic market and Australia.
The West Coast tourism industry was hard hit by the loss of international visitors due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
International visitor spending on the West Coast was down $79.4m in 2021 compared to pre-COVID 2019, according to data from MarketView.
“With the borders re-opening it is great to see some positive momentum with international visitors returning.”
International visitor spending on the West Coast during the month of September was up $2.6m from September in the previous year.
“While this is a positive sign, international spending in September was still only 62% of pre-COVID levels.
“With ‘Pretty Great, Actually’ we hope to entice a few more of our cousin’s from across the ditch, while also not forgetting all of the New Zealanders who have been our saving grace during COVID.”
Research carried out by DWC found that one third of Kiwis have never visited the West Coast, but 92 percent of those who had been before want to return.
“Kiwis have supported the Coast during COVID and as the borders reopen, we want them to think of the Coast as their own backyard…. If their backyard was a huge and filled with national parks, waterfalls, rugged coastlines, sweeping beaches, snow-capped mountains, wildlife and adventure, but yeah, pretty much their backyard,” Dault said.