Held at the Crowne Plaza Auckland on Tuesday 15 September, the event brought together tourism businesses from the West Coast, Hurunui, Kaikōura, Christchurch, Mackenzie and Timaru regions for an afternoon of face-to-face engagement with inbound tour operators and other members of New Zealand’s international travel trade.
Sponsored by Christchurch Airport, the showcase is designed to strengthen the profile of the Central South Island and give tourism businesses direct access to the companies responsible for developing and selling New Zealand itineraries in international markets.
Christchurch Airport head of tourism and trade development Scott Callaway says the showcase demonstrated the value of regions working together.
‘Visitors don’t see regional boundaries when they travel. They are looking for great experiences and journeys, and the Central South Island has an strong story to tell when we bring those experiences together. Christchurch is the international gateway to the South Island, so supporting events like this is about helping convert growing air capacity into visitors who travel further, stay longer and experience more of our regions.’
Pacific Destinations’ Carol Adams said having a large number of Central South Island products together in one room was particularly valuable for inbound operators.
‘Events like this give us the opportunity to reconnect with products we already know, but also to discover new experiences that could add something different to our itineraries.’
The initiative was again organised and managed by Geraldine Morisse.
