New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, consisting of two large landmasses, and hundreds smaller ones.
At around 2,000 kilometers east of Australia, New Zealand is kind of isolated from the more crowded spaces at its neighboring regions. But that is all compensated by its dazzling landscapes. They are alluring, also because not many people are around to make them feel crowded.
With only 5 million people inhabiting the islands that cover roughly the same area as the UK, New Zealand has campsites and perfect roads. It's a popular place for tramping and camping. What's more, cities like Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington have well-maintained their wonderful vibe.
This is why to a number of travelers, this country in the Oceania is special.
New Zealand's government knows this, and this is why it is urging travelers to stop mimicking photos they've seen online and "share something new" instead.
To do this, New Zealand has launched a tourism campaign.
In a two-minute video, starring New Zealand comedian Tom Sainsbury as a lone ranger member of the "Social Observation Squad (SOS)," the official follows tourists to some of the country's most famous landscapes and urges them to stop traveling "under the social influence."
"I've been alerted to a situation that's been happening a lot lately," he said.
"People have been seeing those photos on social media, and they're going to great lengths to copy them."
"You know them," he added, as he listed some cliched social media posts.
"Hot tub back shot. Man sits quietly on the rock contemplating. Hot dog legs."
“We’ve seen all this before. We all have.”
The video is part of New Zealand tourist board's "Do Something New" campaign.
The country's tourism agency is seeking to edge out influencer-style photoshoots at tourism hotspots, using a tongue-in-cheek campaign.
The call is to ask tourists to skip the cliched social media shots that others have posted, and be unique by being more creative. The campaign also encouraged tourists to share their creative travel shots with #DoSomethingNewNZ, and to win a $500 domestic travel voucher.
“We noticed that the same pictures or poses kept coming up, time and time again, no matter the location,” said Tourism New Zeland domestic manager Bjoern Spreitzer. “There are so many incredible things to do in New Zealand, beyond the social trends.”
The campaign however, came at an awkward time.
That is because the 'COVID-19' coronavirus pandemic is still barring most international travelers from entering New Zealand.
But even when the country's borders remain closed, New Zealand has plans to make travel arrangements with neighboring Australia and other Pacific nations.
"Given the risks in the world around us and the uncertainty of the global rollout of the vaccine, we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a news conference.
Before the tourism sector in New Zealand can restart, the authorities need confidence that those vaccinated won't pass coronavirus on to others, which is at this time, is not yet known.
At this time, New Zealand has seen 2,299 total cases of coronavirus, which resulted in 25 deaths.
