Capital wooing locals

WellingtonNZ is rolling out an Advent calendar-style promotion to help encourage locals to enjoy the region. The organisation wants to help encourage spending and make up for the $1 billion usually spent by international tourists in the region. Similar to the city’s yearly Advent calendar, the online platform Explore Wellington offers 22 tourism experiences, hidden by doors on an illustration by artist Dean Proudfoot. Since the soft launch on Monday, 2364 vouchers have been downloaded, with the most popular being for deals on the East by West Ferry, Wellington Zoo, Nga¯ Manu Nature Reserve and Fryday Donuts. Other experiences include deals on tickets to Kapiti Island, and vouchers for wine and meals. WellingtonNZ general manager Anna Calver said the aim was to support local tourism operators who were struggling with the closure of the borders, while helping locals and domestic tourists explore the region. The platform uses technology used for the existing WellingtonNZ annual Christmas Advent calendar, which will return in December.