The There Is Such Thing as a Free Lunch promotion is part of the $2 million There's No Place Like Wellington campaign currently running in Australia. The campaign is the result of a joint venture between central government and regions to boost Australian awareness of and visitation to New Zealand for short break holidays.
PWT’s General Manager of Marketing, Sarah Meikle, says the regional tourism organisation wanted to complement its brand campaign by offering something to Australians that cemented the campaign message that There’s No Place Like Wellington.
“A lot of people have said nowhere other than Wellington could have pulled together a festival like Visa Wellington On a Plate in such a short time, and we reckon there’s no other city that would offer a whole country a free lunch.”
In just its second year Visa Wellington On a Plate 2010 is set to feature 82 events and 88 cafes/restaurants in the DINE Wellington programme, which sees participants offering two courses, a glass of wine and a tea or coffee for $25 and $35. $15 menus (mostly excluding wine) are also available at some establishments.
To secure their free lunch, all Australians have to do is show their Australian passport and flight e-ticket that shows they’ve come during festival time (August 14-29) at the Wellington i-SITE Visitor Centre in Civic Square. They’ll then receive a $25 voucher for use in DINE Wellington.*
“The beauty of the concept is that it only costs us if it works, and that money goes directly back into the Wellington economy rather than in buying more media space across the ditch,” Ms Meikle says.
“Australian visitors to Wellington spend on average $1500 per visit. By diverting some of our media buy to buying them lunch, we can gain exposure for Wellington and track the success.”
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