Bridge on the ball
Cooks travel promoted
at Highlanders match
David Bridge … promoting the
Cook Islands in New Zealand’s
South Island.
Air New Zealand Airbus A320 … flies
Christchurch-Rarotonga-Christchurch.
Air New Zealand Boeing 737-300 … flies
Auckland-Nadi-Rarotonga return weekly.
The next time the Otago Highlanders run on the Carisbrook ground in Dunedin for a Super 14 rugby game, the Cook Islands will be being promoted.
Air New Zealand Manager Cook Islands David Bridge will be in a corporate box at the ground hosting 30 VIPs to the game.
He said he will promote the Cook Islands by handing out caps, T-shirts and bags with the Cook Islands destination label on them.
Bridge is himself what is known in New Zealand as a “Mainlander”, from Dunedin in the South Island.
He is especially proud of Air New Zealand’s weekly direct service linking Christchurch, the biggest city of the South Island, or “Mainland”, with Rarotonga.
Bridge said Air New Zealand has a marketing campaign in the South Island that draws travellers with a message of how friendly and warm the Cook Islands people are.
In the middle of a South Island winter the Cook Islands can seem especially warm.
His effort during the Highlanders game will be part of this continuing effort, targeting influential people in the Otago province which Dunedin is the city of.
Air New Zealand’s marketing also sets a scene, describing the Cooks as a beautiful location, secluded and private with outstanding accommodation.
WEEKLY
Air New Zealand uses one of its 152-passenger Airbus A320 jets on Christchurch-Rarotonga-Christchurch weekly direct flights. This complements busy Auckland-Rarotonga-Auckland flights the airline operates.
The latest Cook Islands Tourism Corporation figures show 47% of Cook Islands visitors last year came from New Zealand.
Asked why the Cook Islands is such a popular destination for New Zealanders, Bridge said it’s based on flight time and sharp seat pricing. It is also a great family and romantic destination, he said.
The fact that the Cook Islands uses New Zealand currency is another advantage for Kiwis to holiday here.
Bridge said Air New Zealand and Cook Islands Tourism Corporation are now also working on growing the market for the new direct flight from Los Angeles.
The airline will operate a 234-passenger Boeing 767-300 Rarotonga-Los Angeles-Rarotonga from the first week of next month.
REPLACE
This will replace flights operating to Los Angeles via Papeete, Tahiti.
Air Rarotonga and Air Tahiti will jointly take over the Rarotonga-Papeete connection using a 66-passenger ATR72 turboprop.
This will fly Papeete-Rarotonga-Papeete twice a week.
Air New Zealand’s Los Angeles direct flights will be twice weekly during business periods and weekly during quieter times.
The first direct flight from Los Angeles is due at Rarotonga International Airport at 6am on Good Friday.
At the same time Air New Zealand is boosting its Auckland-Rarotonga-Auckland flights by using a 313-passenger Boeing 777-200 on two of them a week. The others are operated by Boeing 767-300s and Airbus A320s.
Additionally the airline has a weekly flight Auckland-Nadi (Fiji)- Rarotonga and return using a 136-passenger Boeing 737-300.
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