Post-terror tourism promotion - what it means for brand NZ

Tuesday, 2 April 2019

Tourism experts agree New Zealand's response to the terror attack has helped soften any major damage to our reputation as a visitor destination.

Tourism New Zealand will resume global marketing next week in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack, which it says has not had any significant impact on visitor numbers.

Christchurch's response to the shootings and its support for the Muslim community will also become part of the way the city is marketed in future.

All promotion by Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) ceased following the mosque shootings that left 50 people dead just over two weeks ago.

Chief executive Stephen England-Hall said the move was out of respect for the victims and to ensure online advertisements about New Zealand did not appear alongside international media coverage of the terror event.

Tourism New Zealand suspended all marketing out of respect for the Muslim community targeted in the Christchurch mosque shootings.

* Timeline of the Christchurch mosque shootings

* Flower supplies run short as the sea of floral tributes for Christchurch shooting victims grows**

'We did it because we thought it was the right thing to do, to give New Zealand time and space to support those affected and each other.'

ChristchurchNZ is emphasizing that it is business as usual in the wake of the terror attacks and future marketing will focus on the city's tolerance and inclusiveness.

'It is something the rest of the world has credited us for and we are yet to see any significant impact on the sector as a result of the attack.'

England-Hall said TNZ said they would continue to monitor responses to the shootings and market research would help guide their approach to advertising, especially in countries more sensitive to safety issues.

ChristchurchNZ chief executive Joanna Norris said visitor numbers had remained stable and the promotion agency did not anticipate a sharp drop as had been predicted in some quarters.

It was now looking at how to position the city in future, and the community's handling of the terror event would feature in that, in the same way its post-earthquakes resilience was now part of the Christchurch story.

'We have chosen a path of compassion and inclusiveness and love, which has been felt around the world and within the city, and that's the path we will continue to demonstrate.'

Norris said Asian markets were quite safety conscious, but to date there was no evidence of a negative reaction to the attacks, and she hoped the city would continue to be regarded as a safe destination.

'We should be seen as a warm and welcoming place and what has happened here - to use the words of the Prime Minister - was unprecedented, and the way we responded to it should be the way we are judged.'

'We as a nation have taken the very deliberate approach not to focus on the person responsible for this and rather to focus on the response of the community and to care for those directly impacted.'

Professor Simon Milne, who heads the NZ Tourism Research Institute at AUT, said there was no need for TNZ to change it's marketing and its use of the 100% Pure branding.

'The response has been seen as a model for how these events can be dealt with.

'If we had seen an up-swelling of hate and copycat incidents and people responding in a negative way, that may have had a long term impact.'

The fact that tourists were not targeted was also a major factor in preserving New Zealand's status as a destination.

'If you look at places like North Africa and Egypt, where we have seen tourists specifically targeted by terrorists, then we have seen a marked reduction in [visitor] numbers,' Milne said.