How Tourism New Zealand is marketing to Asia: Gregg Wafelbakker explains

The morning ritual is familiar to millions: we scroll through Instagram, pausing at our friends’ stories featuring the pristine beaches of Bali or the streets of Singapore and immediately adding them to our travel wishlist. Travel decisions today begin not with guidebooks or travel agents, but with a double-tap on a smartphone screen. We discover destinations through carefully curated feeds, plan itineraries around the most photogenic spots, and measure our experiences by their potential to generate likes and shares.

Yet beneath this digital wanderlust, it has created a strange uniformity in how we experience places. Every destination begins to look the same through the lens of viral trends, with the same poses, the same angles, the same pursuit of the perfect shot. 

This paradox is particularly pronounced among Indian travellers, who represent one of the world's fastest-growing outbound tourism markets. In fact, the country’s outbound tourism is expected to reach 50 million trips by 2030. As disposable incomes rise and international travel becomes more accessible, a fatigue has emerged alongside the wanderlust. There’s a growing fatigue over carefully planned, Instagram-optimised trips.

It's against this backdrop that Tourism New Zealand launched #BeyondTheFilter, starring actors and real-life couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa. Set against the landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand, the campaign has attempted to understand the evolving psyche of Indian travellers.

Gregg Wafelbakker, Regional Director – Asia at Tourism New Zealand, recently shared insights into this campaign and the strategy behind marketing a long-haul destination to Indian travellers.

Building trust through genuine experiences

"The first thing that comes to mind is authenticity," explains Wafelbakker. "What we promote must genuinely reflect what visitors will actually experience, and that's something we've seen clearly with the Beyond the Filter campaign."

Research indicates a noticeable trend toward more immersive, slower travel experiences; a shift that aligns with New Zealand's natural offerings. Rather than the frenetic pace of traditional tourism, where travellers rush from one attraction to the next, Indian visitors are increasingly seeking destinations that encourage them to slow down, engage deeply, and create meaningful connections.

In the past 12 months, 81,000 Indian visitors travelled to New Zealand, a 22% increase over 2019 levels. More significantly, Indian travellers now represent the fastest-growing inbound market for New Zealand, with the quickest recovery since the pandemic, according to Wafelbakker. 

Indian travellers are increasingly expressing a desire for holidays that offer peace, space, and genuine opportunities to unwind; experiences that feel transformative rather than merely recreational. This insight has shaped Tourism New Zealand's creative approach, moving away from traditional destination marketing that focuses on activities and attractions toward content that speaks to deeper emotional needs.

With Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa as campaign ambassadors, Tourism New Zealand aims to bring forth the message of authenticity.

"We saw them as a truly genuine couple, both in love and passionate about travelling together," Wafelbakker explains. "They engage naturally with each other and with their audience, which aligned perfectly with our vision for New Zealand, a destination best experienced with someone who adds depth and meaning to your journey."

The decision to feature a real-life couple rather than individual celebrities or manufactured partnerships serves multiple strategic purposes. It attempts to highlight the campaign's core message about authentic experiences while providing relatable role models for the target audience. The couple's genuine relationship dynamics translate into natural, unforced content that resonates with viewers seeking real connections in their own travel experiences.

Converting interest into action

Marketing a long-haul destination, however, presents unique challenges that go far beyond simple brand awareness. While Tourism New Zealand enjoys strong brand recognition among Indian travellers, with 15 million people actively considering a holiday to New Zealand, the gap between consideration and conversion remains.

Wafelbakker shares that New Zealand typically requires two or even three flights from different parts of India, making the journey a substantial time investment. This logistical reality creates a cascade of concerns: finding adequate time off work, justifying the expense, and addressing practical questions about navigation, food, weather, and activities once arrived.

Wafelbakker's team focuses on expanding brand awareness through their paid media strategy. “The focus here is on the lower part of the funnel. Brand awareness and preference are strong, so our priority is to maintain that, not necessarily to expand the top of the funnel further.”

The approach is entirely digital, designed to address planning barriers through targeted messaging that answers practical questions while maintaining the emotional appeal that initially attracted interest.

The role of travel trade partners proves crucial in this conversion process. Approximately 85% of Indian visitors to New Zealand book through travel trade brands like CTC, MakeMyTrip, and more. These collaborative partnerships in destination marketing can provide the final push needed to convert consideration into booking.

Rather than attempting to disrupt established booking patterns, Tourism New Zealand works within existing frameworks while providing the content and emotional messaging that influences initial destination selection.

In doing so, the destination opted for a five-part mini-series format instead of a traditional 60-second TV commercial or short social media clips. 

Wafelbakker comments, “In the early release of the campaign, you’ll see long-form segments, which allow us to dive deeper into storytelling and really bring out the richness of the New Zealand experience.”

However, they are creating shorter edits from these episodes for digital content to make the campaign work across formats. 

“The main focus is social media, with the initial launch taking place on three platforms: Rajkummar and Patralekhaa’s Instagram accounts, YouTube, and our official campaign landing page on NewZealand.com,” he continues.

This approach allows them to reach different audience segments while still conveying the depth, emotion, and immersive quality of the destination.

The future of tourism marketing

As destination marketing evolves, Tourism New Zealand is positioning itself at the forefront of emerging trends that extend beyond traditional tourism promotion. The future of the industry, according to Wafelbakker, is increasingly shaped by sustainability considerations that encompass environmental, cultural, and social dimensions.

"Travellers increasingly want to feel like they're contributing positively to the places they visit—supporting local cultures and communities rather than just consuming experiences," he notes.

This trend aligns with broader global movements toward conscious consumption and social responsibility. Indian travellers, particularly those in higher income brackets and younger demographics, are increasingly making purchase decisions based on shared values. Destinations that can establish genuine commitment to sustainability, in all its forms, are likely to gain competitive advantages in attracting this traveller segment.

The campaign has focused on highlighting the destination's approach to sustainability by talking about their environmental protection and integrating Māori concepts like manaakitanga (hospitality) and whānaungatanga (kinship) into tourism experiences. 

As the travel industry continues to evolve, the principles of authenticity, strategic celebrity partnerships, long-form storytelling, and sustainable positioning provide a roadmap for destination marketing that resonates with modern travellers seeking more than just a vacation.

 

News