Kiwis to flock like sheep to NSW

(right) Christopher Luxon, Air New Zealands Chief Executive and New South Wales Premier Mike Baird signing a new strategic partnership at Air New Zealand head office in Auckland 18 Aug 2015

Air New Zealand flies more seats between Sydney and NZ than any other international destination, but that’s not enough, according to NSW.

So the airline and the NSW Government signed a two year agreement that will see the pair collaborate on marketing efforts to brings more Kiwis across the ditch to NSW.

The strategic partnership was signed at Air NZ’s Auckland head office by NSW Premier Mike Baird and Air New Zealand ceo Christopher Luxon, and will see the airline work with Destination NSW to deliver a range of fresh campaigns to get travelling Kiwis keen on Sydney.

Christopher Luxon said the agreement further strengthens Air New Zealand’s relationship with the beloved Aussie state.

“New South Wales has always been a popular destination for New Zealanders and we fly more seats from New Zealand to Sydney than to any other international destination on our network,” he said.

“This partnership will encourage more Kiwis to hop across the ditch to Sydney and also to explore greater NSW with our alliance partner Virgin Australia.”

In the year to March 2015, NSW welcomed 396,000 visitors from New Zealand, with the partnership expected to boost visitor numbers and add another $6.4 million in annual overnight visitor expenditure for the state.

Destination NSW’s ceo Sandra Chipchase said the new agreement will result in more visitors to the state’s major events.

“The close proximity of our countries means that Sydney and Regional NSW are fantastic short break destinations where New Zealanders can come to enjoy our spectacular scenery, food and wine and many of the best major events in Australia,” she added.

“In the past month alone we have welcomed visitors from New Zealand who have come to see major events such as the Bledisloe Cup and 2015 Netball World Cup.”

“We also have a packed Spring and Summer Calendar to look forward to that includes the Sydney Running Festival, NRL Grand Final, Australian Open of Golf, Matilda The Musical, Rugby Sevens, AUS-X Open Supercross and V8 Supercars Sydney 500.”

Air New Zealand and alliance partner Virgin Australia operate direct flights to Sydney from Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown.

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