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Christchurch Airport is ramping up its digital tourism presence in China through the relaunch of its “SOUTH” store on Fliggy, China’s premier online travel site. SOUTH has already generated close to $5 million for the South Island economy over the past year and is set to grow further with its new site launching on December 12.
The Launch is timed to take advantage of “Double 12,” one of China’s largest online shopping events, the relaunch also aims to drive sales in the lead-up to the peak Chinese New Year holiday period.
The ‘SOUTH’ store, originally launched in 2017, has seen significant growth and is now part of a newly formed joint venture between Christchurch Airport and HeartlandNZ/Fitibo.
Under the direction of Shanghai-based tourism marketing specialist Mishu Song, founder of HeartlandNZ/Fitibo, recent upgrades have expanded listings to more than 200 Kiwi tourism operators and introduced a completely refreshed marketing approach.
“With help from Mishu and her team, we revamped our marketing which resulted in a surge in Chinese visitor bookings in October 2023, which carried over well into last summer season. With this growth Fliggy’s management team were also keen to support our growth plan,” says Christchurch Airport’s China market specialist Swallow Wang.
A fresh new look, exclusive offers, and targeted marketing across powerful social media platforms such as WeChat and Little Redbook will be central to driving traffic to the SOUTH store.
“Our redesigned SOUTH site leverages compelling graphics and a constantly refreshed lineup of special offers,” says Mishu.
“The real game-changer is our integrated social media marketing program, which engages customers through Chinas biggest social media platforms to drive customers to the SOUTH store where they can see and directly book tourism offers from across the South Island.”
“We’re passionate about supporting our airline partners and tourism,” say the airport’s general manager tourism and trade Scott Callaway.
“The ‘SOUTH’ initiative is our way bringing the South Island’s incredible experiences to life for a global audience.”
SOUTH offers a unique, cost-effective opportunity for Kiwi tourism operators, large and small, to showcase their offerings directly in China. The operators who are already active on Chinese social media can direct their audiences to SOUTH for seamless sales, while HeartlandNZ/Fitibo can provide tailored support for content development and translations.
