NEW ZEALAND: Tourist Spend $1 Billion Northland's

Northland's tourist industry continues to thrive with the latest statistics estimating visitors to the region spent nearly one billion dollars in the year to August.

The latest monthly Regional Tourism Estimates released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment show the tourism spend for Northland is around $944 million for the year to August 2016, up six per cent compared with the year to August 2015.

MBIE manager of sector trends Peter Ellis says international visitors spent $222 million and domestic tourists spent $721 million in that period.

Last week former Northlander Stewart Webb was one of those spending his travel dollars in Northland. Webb, who has spent 10 years in Australia, was on a 12-day holiday with his Australian born girlfriend Jaimi MacGregor.

The couple live in Gosford north of Sydney where Webb works as a laboratory technician and MacGregor as a chef. They chose to use a campervan for the holiday and to catch up with family and friends.

Webb says he really enjoyed being back in Northland and catching up with family and friends. He and MacGregor had "loved " Russell as a spot to visit. A trip south to Rotorua and " to the snow" was on the must do list because MacGregor had never seen snow.

New Zealand is also gearing up for a bumper cruise season, with a record number of cruise ships headed for our shores.The first of this season - The Sun Princess - has already berthed at the Bay of Islands with another two ships expected this month. The Northland economy is expected to benefit considerably from the 13 cruise ship stopovers at the Bay of Islands.

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia commercial director Brett Jardine says 33 ships will be cruising local waters between October 1 and April 30, compared to 28 ship last year.

Jardine says the record season reflected New Zealand's growing popularity as a cruise destination, as well as continuing growth in Kiwi passenger numbers.

INDIA: Sidharth Unveils New Zealand Highlights In India

A video showcasing the highlights of tourism ambassador Sidharth Malhotra’s visit to New Zealand has been unveiled in India in the run-up to the launch of the country’s 100% Pure New Zealand campaign this month.

There was strong interest in the Tourism New Zealand-led media event in Mumbai with about sixty journalists including entertainment, travel and lifestyle media attending. The Bollywood star talked about his action-packed visit to New Zealand in October 2015 and said he was amazed and humbled by the reception he received.

The highlights video shows Sidharth indulging in his favourite events, including his Skywalk in Auckland, meeting the Prime Minister, hot air ballooning in Queenstown and his visit to Tane Mahuta in Northland.

The media also got their first look of the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign which launches in India, 10 February.

Recounting the best bits of his Kiwi trip, Sidharth told the media: “I was amazed and humbled by the warm hospitality showered on me. I experienced adrenalin at every point of my journey, be it when I was diving into the sea or when I was learning to do the haka. I had many firsts during this trip including my first skydive and a cultural experience such as visiting Tane Mahuta. It’s my privilege to be brand ambassador for Tourism New Zealand and I believe it will strengthen the two countries bond in 2016.”

Steven Dixon, Tourism New Zealand’s Regional Manager for South and South East Asia joined Sidharth for the media event. He said: “We are extremely thrilled to have Sidharth on board as part of the Tourism New Zealand family and are pleased to know that his New Zealand trip has created great conversations about the destination not just in India but in New Zealand as well. Our country experienced the impact of Bollywood when Sidharth was surrounded by fans everywhere he went. He was enthusiastic and eager to explore New Zealand’s offerings, immersing himself in adventure, wine and food and Maori culture.”

Research carried out since Sidharth’s visit show the choice of the Bollywood star as our ambassador to India is proving a huge success, driving strong interest among Indians considering a New Zealand holiday.

During his eight-day visit here, 2.8 million people engaged with Sidharth via social media, including 57,000 people engaging with each of his Facebook posts. Coverage of his visit and following has generated media coverage valued at $4.5m.

India is an important emerging market for New Zealand. Latest international arrival figures show 22,224 Indian visitors came here for a holiday in 2015, up 28.6 per cent on 2014.

Tourism New Zealand’s brand campaign in India will be followed by campaign work with airline partners like Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and selected trade partners.