Marlborough has been named one of the top 10 emerging destinations for Chinese tourists.
The “It’s My World Travel Awards” has placed Marlborough alongside the likes of Sicily, Jerusalem and the Loire Valley.
The tourist hot spots were selected by a panel of professional judges, comprised of Chinese tourism experts and media representatives.
Finalists were picked based on voting by around 480,000 users of a Chinese tourism website.
New Zealand placed in the top 10 for destinations. Marlborough, the only New Zealand region to feature in the lists, was pegged an emerging destination.
Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd said the Chinese market was not just about Marlborough’s wine reputation.
She said a “team effort” had helped showcase the best of Marlborough to the Chinese market, which included the beauty of the Marlborough Sounds and top-quality seafood.
“Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand and Christchurch Airport have been really key in helping us get into the China market,” Lloyd said.
“But there are also so many local bodies that have helped us too.”
Lloyd thought a lot of the appeal was because Marlborough was “not on what you would call the golden route of travel”.
“They can go home and show people a place that no-one else has been to.”
Collaborative work between Tourism NZ and Destination Marlborough had helped to showcase the best bits of the region.
China was New Zealand’s second-largest international tourist market, behind Australia.
However, the China market was only number eight in Marlborough tourism.
Marlborough Tour Company general manager Scott McKenzie said the China market was not massive, but it was “growing very quickly”.
“Between the scenery and the world-class seafood you can’t go wrong,” McKenzie said.
The company had a tour set up specifically for Chinese tourists, with tour guides who spoke Mandarine.
Omaka Heritage Aviation Centre marketing manager Rachael Brown said they also had a member of staff to help translate for Chinese tourists.
Tourists could sit in the cockpit of a Nanchang CJ-6a, a Chinese military aircraft, or have a flight for $600.
The Nanchang experience was popular because people could not get up close and personal with the aircraft in China, Brown said.
Chateau Marlborough managing director Brent Marshall said the active China market had been “slowly emerging for some time”.
“People don’t come to sit around and look at the inside of a hotel so establishing partners in the region has been critical to getting into the market,” Marshall said.
Marshall praised Destination Marlborough for their work promoting the region.
Marlborough was estimated to have earned over $401 million for tourismin the year-ending December, hitting the region’s visitor spend target for the first time.
A tourism report said this equated to 8 per cent growth compared with year-on-year figures, and put the region ahead of the national 4 per cent average.
As a nation, tourism brought in $16.4 billion every year and employed one in seven New Zealanders.
Tourism New Zealand had invited all Kiwis to be part of its biggest campaign to date.
Kiwis had been invited to create a video that would form part of a campaign which showcased the people and culture of New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall said they were asking New Zealanders to share their favourite place with the world by creating a ‘good morning world’ video and sharing it to social media.
A local woman featured in the third video last week which showed a pod of dusky dolphins in Kaikoura.
Top 10 Emerging Destinations (in alphabetical order)
Amman, Jordan
Fjord Norway, Norway
Jerusalem, Israel
Loire Valley, France
Madeira Islands, Portugal
Marlborough, New Zealand
Montserrat, Spain
Sicily, Italy
Stuttgart, Germany
Una River, Bosnia and Herzegovina
By Maia Hart