ABSTRACT
Today, every country in the world has a tourism proposition, whether it is New Zealand (‘100% Pure New Zealand’), India (‘Incredible India’), or Afghanistan (‘The Last Unconquered Mountains of the World’). New Zealand’s share of international arrivals is 0.3 percent, one of the smallest in the world, but tourism is the country’s largest earner of foreign currency and competes with agriculture to be the country’s largest industry. According to the country’s Tourism Satellite Account (Statistics New Zealand 2009), the economic value of tourism is NZ$ 21.7bn, with international markets contributing NZ$ 9.3bn representing 16.4 percent of total exports of goods and services. International tourists to New Zealand visit the country for the landscapes, mountains, Maori culture and outdoor activities. Today, New Zealand is one the world’s most successful tourism destinations, and many tourists aspire to visit it. The country tourism brand ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ (Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie 2011) is the world’s most successful brand and in 2009 it celebrated its tenth anniversary (more than a lifetime in destination branding circles). Many countries look to New Zealand as a country that has got tourism policy and marketing just right. Tourism New Zealand is often benchmarked as an exemplar of success.
