City of Sails sells itself in TV campaign

Heart of the City will run a TV advertising campaign to attract more New Zealanders to Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Auckland is set to launch its biggest domestic tourism marketing campaign in a bid to attract more Kiwis to the city at a time when fewer people are arriving from overseas.

The $1.8 million campaign, which is being driven by central Auckland business group Heart of the City, launches tomorrow night with a 60-second TV commercial aimed at telling the nation that Auckland is a "big little city, open daily".

The advert will show Aucklanders preparing the city for visitors and will feature cameos from well-known locals, including chef Peter Gordon, musician Boh Runga and fashionista Denise L'Estrange-Corbet.

It will then be supported by a series of 15-second adverts focusing on specific events, like the upcoming Starlight Express and Simon & Garfunkel concerts.

Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney said the campaign was designed to show Auckland had more than natural attractions, while it was hoped the event focus would give visitors an idea of when to come.

"We believe an event-based campaign is much more appropriate in the current environment."

Three-quarters of the campaign will be paid for by a combination of Heart of the City's business levy and funding from Auckland City Council through its CBD business rate.

The remaining money has come from private business, including Air New Zealand, SkyCity, Vector Arena and the Edge, as well as some hotels.

Tourism Auckland would also support the campaign through its website and 0800 number although it had not made a financial contribution.

Tourism Auckland chief executive Graeme Osborne said the campaign was CBD focused and would add to its regional campaign which was mainly targeted at international visitors particularly those from Australia.

Osborne said it had not pursued domestic marketing in the past because of budget constraints and because the business case had yet to be proven.

Wellington spent $2.6 million a year on domestic marketing but their result was not better than anybody else's, he said. "I think domestic campaigns are valid but I think at the moment we need to better understand the research around them.

"The Wellington example shows we have to be careful around the business case," he said. But overall he was supportive of the campaign.

Swney said the success of the campaign would be measured on whether it managed to increase overnight stays and domestic tourism spend but it had a long-term focus of three to five year for those goals.

Last year, Auckland had 2.16 million domestic overnight trips, a 14.4 per cent share of the market; while Canterbury had 1.45 million, the second highest at 9.7 per cent; and Wellington had 1.096 million, a 7.3 per cent stake.

Of those who come to Auckland 46 per cent stay with friends and family.