Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has launched a month-long promotion in Sydney and Melbourne as part of a campaign to grow tourism in the South Island of New Zealand.
Australian visitor numbers to Christchurch have steadily increased over the past year, particularly now that two value-based airlines (Jetstar and Pacific Blue) have become established there, according to Gareth Owen, CIAL’s Manager, Marketing & Business Development.
Australian international visitors to Christchurch increased by 9% in 2006 compared with the previous year. Six airlines fly to Christchurch from four destinations in Australia, and Christchurch International Airport handles 1.5 million international passengers per year.
The campaign is called “So you think you can Talk Kiwi” and is based around New Zealand colloquialisms.
The fun street marketing component is based around Kiwi blokes “talking kiwi” to Australians on the street in Sydney and Melbourne. Dressed up as a stereotypical “Kiwi bloke”, promotional staff will hand out flyers to encourage people to answer the “New Zealandism” questions, and enter a competition to win a short break to New Zealand.
Often the domain of traditional trans-Tasman rivalry, the linguistic differences between Australians and their NewZealand cousins are to be challenged in the public arena.
Central Sydney and Melbourne are being infiltrated by Kiwi sheep farmers determined to educate wayward Australians in the subtleties of the NewZealand vernacular.
Sheep farmers, experts in their own land at mustering and herding, are tasked with rounding up wayward Sydneysiders and Melbournians to ensure they are familiar with the unusual lingua franca of their Tasman neighbours.
