Hawke’s Bay and Dunedin locals are being encouraged to reconnect as part of a new tourism initiative launched today. ‘You’re Invited’ is a collaboration between Hawke’s Bay Airport, Hawke’s Bay Tourism, Dunedin Airport, and Enterprise Dunedin, and aims to boost tourism between the two centres.
The campaign will run for two weeks, with Hawke’s Bay extending a special invitation to Dunedinites to visit, and vice versa.
Enterprise Dunedin Manager John Christie says the collaboration is a great way to highlight both regions as exceptional domestic destinations.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Hawke’s Bay residents taking up the opportunity to visit Dunedin and experience its distinctive built heritage, unique wildlife and vibrant food scene.
“Dunedin and Hawke’s Bay both offer excellent visitor experiences with the added advantage of being gateways to the incredible beauty of their wider region.”
A competition run by The Hits provided the campaign footage, with listeners from each region winning flights and access to the best visitor experiences on offer in each region.
The campaign places special emphasis on local producers, with the Dunedin winners enjoying Craggy Range, the National Distillery Company, Teresa, Bellatino’s, Piku and an Art Deco tour. In Dunedin, the Hawke’s Bay winners experienced Emersons Brewery, Titi Restaurant, No.8 Distillery, Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant and Fable Hotel, as well as visiting Olveston House and Larnach Castle.
Rob Stratford, CEO of Hawke’s Bay Airport, is excited to see the campaign come to life.
“This is a first for New Zealand, in terms of two airports working together to stimulate tourism – but it just makes sense. We hope this campaign will encourage our friends in Dunedin to visit the beautiful Hawke’s Bay, and vice versa.
“Our hope is that not only will we see a boost to our visitor economy, but we’ll have created a new template for how we could work together with other regions in the future.”
Richard Roberts, CEO of Dunedin Airport, agrees.
“This is how airports should work together. We’ve created something that will benefit both regions, and we’re really proud to see the campaign footage now playing throughout our airport.”
Hawke’s Bay Tourism CEO Hamish Saxton says it’s a great opportunity for Dunedinites to rediscover all that Hawke’s Bay has to offer.
“The last two years has seen thousands of New Zealanders do something new and explore their own backyard. It has been an absolute joy to see Kiwis from all over discover and rediscover how
remarkable our region is, and this campaign is a fantastic extension of that.
“We can’t wait to welcome our Dunedin, Central Otago and South Island mates to Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s Food and Wine Country, and to share our big blue skies, stunning natural landscapes, Art Deco charm and of course, world-class food and wine.”
