Tourism deals turn the Wellington Region into a wonderland

Exploring the Wellington region is now even easier thanks to deals being offered by local tourism businesses and experiences in Wellington city, Porirua, Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and the Wairarapa.  

Explore Wellington is an online platform created that offers 22 tourism experiences and activity deals such as special offers on ferry tickets, Wellington Zoo and bike hire.   

It is part of WellingtonNZ’s broader visitor attraction campaign targeting whānau across the Wellington region as well as visitors from the top of the South Island, and those in drive-time regions of Manawatu, Whanganui, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki.  

All 22 deals sit behind individual doors of an advent calendar-style illustration created by local artist Dean Proudfoot. It depicts what makes the Wellington region such a special place to live and visit. Click on any deal before August 31 and it gets sent to your inbox or downloaded to your smartphone. 

Since the soft launch of Explore Wellington on Monday 13 July, 2,364 vouchers have been downloaded. The most popular offers so far are East by West Ferry, Wellington Zoo, Ngā Manu Nature Reserve and Fryday Donuts. 

WellingtonNZ General Manager Anna Calver says Explore Wellington has a dual purpose: to support local tourism operators struggling with the closure of our international borders; and provide good value deals for locals and domestic visitors to enjoy. 

“Before lockdown, international visitors were worth about $1 billion to the regional economy. That has been stopped in its tracks, which is hurting local tourism operators.

“Explore Wellington provides great deals to tempt more locals and domestic visitors to experience what the region has to offer. There’s something for everyone from nature excursions, cycling hires and even opportunities to enjoy a delicious free doughnut, coffee or bagel as part of some deals. 

“The 22 tourism deals were put together with families in mind, perfect for the school holidays and beyond, but there’s also plenty there for couples and groups of friends to enjoy.” 

According to the latest MBIE data, electronic card spending by domestic visitors and locals in the Wellington region increased by 2.2 per cent in the four weeks ending 12 July 2020, compared to the same time last year. However, the increase wasn’t felt evenly across all sectors with tourism operators, in particular, missing out. 

Explore Wellington, along with five other WellingtonNZ domestic tourism campaigns currently in the market, will have fed the spending increase to some extent but available data doesn’t reveal that sort of detail. 

The online platform used for Explore Wellington utilised existing technology designed for WellingtonNZ’s annual Christmas Advent Calendar which will return in December.

//ENDS

The platform features 22 deals:

1. Kāpiti Island Eco Tours - Two children tickets free for every adult ticket purchased

2. Brewtown - Get one free kid's meal with every adult's meal at Aro Bar

3. Cycle Remutaka - Free return shuttle with any Kaitoke Bike Hire

4. Staglands - Get a free animal food bag with every family entry

5. East by West Ferry - Buy one return ticket, get one free

6. Wellington Zoo Buy one Adult admission and receive a Child admission for free

7. Capital personalised Tours - Get 15% off a Kapiti Day tour

8. Get Fixed Bicycle Café - Buy two full-day bike hires, get two free coffees and bagels

9. Zozo Tours - Buy two, get one free Petone Taste Buds Tours

10. Adrenalin Forest - Buy two adult entries, and a child climbs free

11. Ngā Manu Nature Reserve - Get a family admission for $30

12. Green Jersey Cycle Hire - For every full-day Martinborough Bike Hire, get a free coffee from Neighbourhood Café

13. Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre - Buy one Adult entry pass, and receive a Child entry pass for free

14. Stonehenge Aotearoa - Buy one Adult entry pass, and receive a Child entry pass for free

15. Green Jersey Cape Palliser Coastal Explorer Tour - Buy 3 tours, get 1 half-price

16. Seal Coast Safari - Get a private Seal Coast Safari for up to 4 people for just $350

17. Zealandia - 25% off ZEALANDIA by Night tours when you book 4 or more people

18. Fryday Donuts - Buy three doughnuts and get one free

19. Weta Workshop - Get a free mini-epic collectable with every tour booking

20. Switched on Bikes – Get a free burger at Chocolate Fish café with every full or half-day e-bike hire

21. Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand - Buy one Māna Māori tour, get one free

22. Martinborough Wine Tours - Buy a Martinborough Wine Tour, get a $20 voucher for Martinborough Wine Merchants

 Ends