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Tourism New Zealand is the national institution tasked with promoting New Zealand as a tourism destination internationally. It is the trading name of the New Zealand Tourism Board, a Crown entity established under the New Zealand Tourism Board Act 1991. It is the marketing agency for New Zealand, whilst the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment; (previously the New Zealand Ministry of Tourism) is the government department tasked with policy and research.
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New Zealand was the first country to dedicate a government department to tourism, when in 1901, the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts came into being. Through most of the 20th century, its role was tactical - it ran hotels and put together itineraries around New Zealand as well as advertising. After reorganisation and the selling off of assets in the late 1980s, the organisation, as Tourism New Zealand, now focuses on marketing of New Zealand.
To achieve the best efficiency, from limited resources, the campaign is mainly directed to travellers who will enjoy the New Zealand experience the most, who are most likely to "enjoy the authenticity of the New Zealand experience" and are willing to pay for quality experiences.
In November 2012 readers of UK paper The Telegraph voted New Zealand the best country in the world to go to on holiday. The national airline, Air New Zealand, was voted third-best long-haul carrier.
Promotional activity
Recent activities (2007) have included a NZ$7 million campaign in China, concentrating on Shanghai, and cooperating to produce a New Zealand tourism layer for Google Earth, the first country to receive such a treatment,
Rugby
A Giant Rugby Ball venue was placed in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in order to promote the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The Rugby Ball subsequently was sited in London and was visited by the Queen.
YouTube
Tourism New Zealand set up a YouTube channel in 2007 to launch the latest iteration of its 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, and it featured the theme of New Zealand being the 'Youngest Country' in the world - the last major habitable landmass to be discovered.
"100% Pure New Zealand"
The main marketing tool of Tourism New Zealand is the award-winning "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign, which had its ten-year anniversary in 2009. The campaign uses advertising, events, the internet and work with international trade and media to get the 100% Pure NZ message across to potential visitors.
The brand has attracted criticism from scientists such as Mike Joy, environmentalists, and the Green Party on the basis that the New Zealand environment is far from pure. The Prime Minister, in reply to some of the criticism, compared the campaign to a McDonald's advertisement in that they should both be taken with a grain of salt.
In 2012, to coincide with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Tourism New Zealand launched a modified version of the campaign, known as "100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand." The campaign encourages Tolkien tourism; like the Lord of the Rings film series, The Hobbit was filmed in New Zealand. This iteration of the campaign was recognized in the 2012 World Travel Awards.