Commentary
The Routes Asia 2015 Airline Marketing Awards, held this month in Kunming China, saw Auckland Airport win the ‘Airports under 20 million passengers’ category.
The annual Routes Asia Airline Marketing Awards are highly regarded within the industry as they are voted for and judged by airline and industry experts. They provide the airline community with the chance to have their say as to which airport or tourism authority they think provides the best overall marketing services.
Jason Delamore, Auckland Airport’s general manager marketing, says, “We are continuously looking to help drive New Zealand tourism through highly targeted and innovative marketing initiatives, with a broad set of partners. It is an honour to receive this award from airlines recognising Auckland Airport as a leader in this area.”
“Recently we have been focussed on delivering the ‘Four Seasons, Five Senses’ marketing project, a project jointly funded by Auckland Airport and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment,” continues Mr Delamore.
“The ‘Four Seasons, Five Senses’ campaign aims to drive tourism growth from the Guangdong province in China by promoting the unique and iconic activities that our country has to offer across the seasons. These activities engage the five senses of travellers with a focus on high quality food and wine, cultural and adventure experiences. One of the objectives of the campaign is to develop a model that can be replicated across China and other geographies as demand and air connectivity grow,” finishes Mr Delamore.
Norris Carter, Auckland Airport’s general manager aeronautical commercial, was present in Kunming China, to accept the award on behalf of the Airport.
“The ‘Four Seasons, Five Senses’ project supports the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association’s Tourism 2025 framework to grow sustainable air connectivity and increase New Zealand tourism demand in the off-peak seasons,” says Mr Carter.
“Air service development brings strong economic benefits to New Zealand. The average spend per visit by international visitors was $2,900 for the year ended December 2014. So one international wide body service carrying 300 passengers, half of which are tourists, has an approximate spend of $435,000. This means a daily service is worth around $158 million per year to the New Zealand economy,” continues Mr Carter.
“Successful airline marketing partnerships are imperative to air service development. We strongly believe that by working closely with our airline and industry partners, we can capitalise on market opportunities and continue to grow the New Zealand tourism industry,” finishes Mr Carter.
Mar 23, 2015