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Nelson Tasman will feature in four of six major tourism initiatives backed by the Government’s latest $5 million Regional Tourism Marketing Boost Fund (Round 3), putting the region in front of more potential visitors in key international markets.
The six collaborative initiatives announced by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) are designed to attract international visitors to New Zealand over the next 6 months, and encourage them to travel further into the regions, stay longer and spend locally.
Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA), the Regional Tourism Organisation for Nelson Tasman, is involved in four successful initiatives: Top of the South, China SOUTH, Food Trails Aotearoa and national North America activity.
Together, these campaigns will give Nelson Tasman increased exposure across Australia, North America and China, using partnerships with airlines, travel trade, online travel agencies and platforms including Expedia and CamperMate to help turn destination awareness into bookings and visits.
NRDA visitor destination manager Craig Boodee says being represented in four of the six initiatives is a strong result for the region.
“A big part of our role is building these relationships and making sure Nelson Tasman has a seat at the table when opportunities like this arise. We’re constantly working with other regions, Tourism New Zealand, travel trade and industry partners to make sure our place and our local visitor businesses are well represented.”
“For a region of our size, being part of four of the six successful campaigns is a really positive result. It means the investment we make locally can be leveraged alongside Government funding and the collective reach of other Regional Tourism Organisations to put Nelson Tasman in front of significantly larger international audiences, that we couldn’t reach on our own.”
“This is about converting that reach into real value for Nelson Tasman – bringing more visitors here, encouraging them to stay longer, extending the season and spending across accommodation, hospitality, attractions, retailers and experience operators.”
The funded activity includes Nelson Tasman in four marketing initiatives:
Top of the South campaign – $644,902 to support targeting Australian visitors, promoting food, wine, adventure and self-drive itineraries across Nelson Tasman and neighbouring regions.
China SOUTH – $994,902 to support promotion of South Island destinations through airline, online travel, social media and travel trade partnerships.
Food Trails Aotearoa – $794,902 to support showcasing regional food and hospitality through curated food trails and self-drive itineraries targeting Australian and US visitors.
National, North America campaign – $975,490 to support attracting visitors from the United States and Canada.
“Our remarkable landscapes, outdoor experiences, luxury accommodation and exceptional local guides, alongside our strong food and beverage offering, give Nelson Tasman a compelling role in those itineraries” Craig says.
He says the campaigns, some of which will be starting within the next few weeks, provide an opportunity to showcase what sets Nelson Tasman apart, while building on the recognition the region already has in key international markets.
“A friend in Portland US, recently sent me a photo of a US beer with ‘Nelson Hops’ splashed across the front of the can. People in this key market are already recognising the Nelson name. Forbes magazine has also recently named Nelson as one of its beer destinations around the world worth travelling for in 2026.
We want to build on this point of difference through these campaigns, turning that recognition into curiosity about the place behind the hops, and ultimately into more people visiting Nelson Tasman.”
“For the Top of the South campaign, in the coming weeks, our friends in the East Coast and South of Australia will be seeing flight discount offers, and social media advertising encouraging them to taste the journey in the Top of the South, just in time to influence their summer holiday planning” says Craig
This recent Government investment builds on NRDA’s industry-funded seasonal destination marketing and travel trade activity to keep Nelson Tasman visible, strengthen demand for the region and support the local visitor economy.
NRDA chief executive Fiona Wilson says while the Regional Tourism Marketing Boost funding doesn’t include any direct funding to NRDA, it is a significant boost to our international marketing efforts.
“Being included in these campaigns has involved fast work over the last two months by Craig Boodee, and Donna Adlam, International Marketing Lead, from our visitor team, to develop the proposals with regional partners, to present the strongest case we could for these competitive funds.”
“The Regional Tourism Marketing Boost announcement comes alongside a wider focus from Government on how the benefits and costs of tourism are shared across New Zealand.
We are excited by the Government’s further announcement today about allocation of IVL to the regions to support international tourism. Nelson Tasman hosts over 320k international guest nights each year; international visitors are an important part of our regional economy, including over $370m in spending a year according to MBIE’s MRTE data”.
