Latest Stories Beat Stuff competition launched with new online features

Tourism New Zealand's social media channels will soon be awash with youth travellers offering up their most prized possessions in return for the chance to win the trip of a lifetime.

Today saw the launch of Tourism New Zealand's latest Stories Beat Stuff campaign and competition, aimed at making New Zealand an appealing destination for youth.

The latest activity once again challenges entrants to give up their stuff to be in to win one of two amazing 100% 'Story of a lifetime' experiences for themselves and three friends.

'The first phase of Stories Beat Stuff and its use of interactive media has been hugely successful in engaging with the global youth market,' says Tourism New Zealand's General Manager Marketing Communications Justin Watson.

'Phase one ran between November and February and generated a combined 350,000 unique visits to the campaign pages on newzealand.com and the 100% Pure Facebook page. There was also more than 250,000 YouTube views which included more than 50,000 views of the winners experiences while in New Zealand.'

'This has shown us how well the campaign has resonated with the global youth market.'

The youth market, aged 18 - 29, account for nearly 25 per cent of annual arrivals to NZ and is a target sector because they typically stay longer, travel widely and get involved in a range of activities meaning they are likely to spend more.

They also present future tourism opportunities as they are often repeat visitors later in life.

Rolled out across key youth markets, phase two of Stories Beat Stuff enhances its use of online and social media to make it easier for entrants to share with friends and the wider youth market globally.

Campaign pages on newzealand.com have been redesigned to more effectively ensure all digital and social media channels are fully integrated to work together.

Justin says: 'We have also increased the number of friends the winner can bring with them from one to three to widen the social network that could potentially be reached.'

Tourism New Zealand has partnered with Air New Zealand and a number of New Zealand operators to provide the experiences, and have also worked with in-market sellers to offer the same experiences for purchase, as showcased throughout the campaign.

Entrants are now able to make their bids for both the Winter Highlife ski trip across the South and North Islands  and Natural Goodness which is a South Island road trip showcasing the natural wonders and outdoor activities on offer.

Both winners will be announced in June.

To find out more about the campaign visit Stories Beat Stuff on newzealand.com.