Tuesday, 08 June 2021 16:30

Wine Tourism

Written by  Staff Reporters

The opening of the trans-Tasman bubble in April was an exciting development which will benefit our industry in multiple ways, notably in the wine tourism space.

Within days of the re-opening of the Australian borders, wineries across the country were welcoming back international wine tourists. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has more than 270 members who offer winery visitor experiences (cellar doors, winery restaurants, vineyard accommodation and others) throughout the country, and many are firm favourites with our Aussie neighbours. The international wine tourist is a high value visitor, spending 27 percent more than the average holiday visitor, and pre-Covid, 27 percent of all Australian holiday visitors claimed to have visited a vineyard or winery, according to a survey by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment. With the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble, Tourism New Zealand's (TNZ) clever 'Stop Dreaming and Go' campaign is now live in market, encouraging our neighbours to head over for a visit. The launch video draw on the film Inception and has quirky Australian humour which can be viewed on TNZ's YouTube channel. Make sure you check it out, some of the scenery might look familiar...

Top tips for getting ready for our Australian visitors

  • update your website and social media with opening hours
  • update your Google My Business listing
  • update your brand profile at portal.NZwine.com
  • share any new winery visitor experiences with NZW
  • engage with your local Regional Tourism Organisation and i-SITE network
  • list your winery visitor experiences for free on Tourism New Zealand's consumer website (register.nz.com)
  • check out the 'wine tourism' resources under 'marketing' on the portal.nzwine.com
  • join the NZW Marketing closed Facebook group
  • ensure your QR code is clearly visible for your visitors.

For any questions on wine tourism, please contact Keri at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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