09/02/12, 19:53:40 EST

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380km wine trail set to lure tourists

stuff.co.nz

New Zealand's wine regions are banding together to lure high-end international tourists on a 380km wine trail from Hawkes Bay to Marlborough.

The relaunched Classic New Zealand Wine Trail is supported by five wine growing regions – Hawkes Bay, Tararua, Wairarapa, Wellington and Marlborough, which make up 74 per cent of the country's vineyard area.

The regions are now pooling their resources to market the trail more aggressively overseas.

Wine trail chairman Troy Gerbich, from Tararua, said the first of a series of new signs would go up on State Highway 2, near Hastings, today.

The regions had also pooled resources to hire a marketing manager for the trail.

He said there was evidence to suggest the trail had increased the number of foreign tourists by 5% to 45% in some areas.

He said most of the tourists were from Britain or Australia but the increased marketing should see that widened along with a gradual increase in domestic travellers. Newly appointed trail marketing manager Tracy Johnston, a former Tourism New Zealand representative, said international visitors wanted to explore more of New Zealand than just the traditional tourist spots.

She said the trail gave people the opportunity to explore some of the most stunning parts of New Zealand, including the Marlborough Sounds.

 Printable Version  | published May 22, 2007