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The Tourism and Hospitality Minister says the “Everyone Must Go!” campaign exceeded its target of bringing 6750 additional Australians to New Zealand over autumn.

Louise Upston, who announced the campaign in February alongside Christopher Luxon, called it a “winner” as she claimed its controversial slogan had stirred up interest in New Zealand across the Tasman, contributing to a rise in visitor numbers.

The campaign raised eyebrows at home and overseas, with some outlets reporting it to be tone-deaf as the country dealt with record emigration numbers.

But it appears to have worked, with Upston revealing nearly 8000 extra Australian visitors had pumped an estimated $22 million into the economy – $5m more than was initially targeted.

“Tourism NZ stats released to me show it delivering an additional 7981 visitors to smash its initial forecasts,” Upston said.

“It also attracted significant attention on both sides of the Tasman, and got Kiwis and Aussies talking about New Zealand as a destination.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston. Photo / Dean Purcell

Upston said tourism was essential to the Government’s plan “to grow the economy, create jobs, lift wages and help Kiwis get ahead”.

“We knew Aussies would recognise it as a great opportunity. Just like they grabbed Phar Lap and pavlova, it’s proved the same story with ‘Everyone Must Go!’”

Upston said more than 450 tourism operators had offered hundreds of deals on accommodation, transport and experiences throughout the campaign, driving up visitor spending.

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And because there was a “solid return” on the initial $500,000 investment in the campaign, the Government boosted the campaign with an additional $300,000.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa applauded the campaign’s success, saying it’s “a great outcome for this activity out of Tourism NZ to drive measurable results”.

Several regional tourism organisations (RTOs) also stood by the campaign results, with Love Taupō saying that “increasing our ability to engage consumers and trade globally is essential to stay competitive”.

The campaign's slogan sparked international interest and discussion. Image / Tourism NZ

“The opportunities to get into the international marketplaces with our national tourism agency [Tourism NZ] and the campaigns associated with Minister Upston’s regional booster are essential to capture the hearts and minds of international visitors – particularly Australians, who are likely to visit New Zealand at least four times in their lifetime.”

With Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data only available up until May this year, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism Ltd (HWT) said there’d been a small increase in visitor spending in the Waikato region in May compared to the year before.

“During this same timeframe we have welcomed the return of international connectivity directly to our region – with Jetstar daily flights arriving directly to Hamilton Airport from Sydney and Gold Coast."

HWT said the “Everyone Must Go!” campaign had generated much discussion abroad.

However, there were other marketing campaigns also aimed at attracting Australians to Aotearoa “as a result of the Tourism Boost Fund distributed to collaborative groups of [RTOs]“.