New Zealand’s latest tourist campaign with the tagline ‘Everyone must go!’ has been ridiculed, with some saying it is ‘tone-deaf’ and comparing it to a clearance sale advert
New Zealand’s new ‘everyone must go’ tourism campaign is being ridiculed after many have expressed that it has missed the mark.
A New Zealand tourism campaign targeting Australians has been ridiculed online for sounding similar to a clearance sale and for being ‘tone-deaf’ amid sever job cuts and record numbers of New Zealanders heading overseas.
The New Zealand Government launched its ‘Everyone must go!’ campaign over the weekend in an attempt to attract Australian holidaymakers. However, the $500,000 (£226,494) advert which is running on social media and radios currently, has been criticised heavily by New Zealanders.
The tagline, which is set against photos of tourists sightseeing in New Zealand, states: “Sale now on. Everyone must go! Even you. Don’t miss out” and since its launch, has received opposition from politicians and social media users. The Green Party’s tourism spokesperson, Celia Wade-Brown, told national broadcaster RNZ the tagline “might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous”.
One X user commented: “Depending on how you read it, New Zealand’s latest tourism tagline can be a well-meaning plea for people to visit – or a threat to kick Kiwis out.” However, other users were quick to note that even if it is being criticised, it is being talked about with one Facebook user commenting: “I’d say that it worked, because everyone is talking about it.”
Louise Upston, the tourism minister, said: “What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we’re open for business, there are some great deals on, and we’d love to see you soon.” Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for the minister told The Guardian that Upston was “very pleased” with the campaign and shared that it had gained positive feedback from tourism operators and a marketing expert.
The campaign is the Government’s latest attempt to attract tourists, digital nomads and overseas investors to the country to try and boost the economy. Before the pandemic, tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry and delivers around $40.9bn (£18.5bn) to the country each year. Whilst the latest figures have suggested that the country is creeping back towards those numbers, New Zealand is still pushing for more tourists.
However, the campaign comes at a time of high job cuts in the country. Labour’s tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel told RNZ while she broadly supported growing tourism in New Zealand, the latest campaign’s tagline was ‘tone-deaf’ at a time when the coalition Government is getting rid of thousands of roles across the public sector in order to cut overall costs.
One Facebook user highlight the current crisis, and said: “Many Kiwis can’t even afford to go on holiday in their own country!” Another added: “If I was in a [Government] seeing record emigration I simply would not pick “everyone must go” as a slogan.”
Over the years, New Zealand has produced several tourism campaigns that have attracted both praise and criticism. For example, the award-winning 100 per cent Pure New Zealand promotion – now one of the world’s longest-running tourism campaigns after turning 25 last year – has been commended for its catchiness but often criticised for not aligning with reality in the country, particularly regarding issues like intensive dairy farming.