Hawke's Bay Tourism making the most of the winter season

A new Hawke’s Bay Tourism campaign is showing a real commitment to business sustainability by finding new ways to deal with the effects of seasonality.

The ‘Hello Winter, Hello Hawke’s Bay’ campaign aims to advertise the region as a year-round visitor destination – even in winter. The campaign uses video to tell the story of a region filled with opportunities to rug up and discover by day, before retreating for fireside dining and deluxe accommodation by night. 

Hawke’s Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said the winter campaign highlighted the diversity of experiences to savour when visiting Hawke’s Bay. 

“The Hawke’s Bay winter experience is one where you embrace the shorter days with a tour of our galleries, shopping our fashion boutiques, or discovering our short walks and easy-riding cycle trails.”

Innovating your business strategy to make the most of seasonality, or low periods of tourist activity, is a key component of committing to sustainable economic tourism under the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment. 

Dundas said that one of the key objectives behind the ‘Hello Winter, Hello Hawke’s Bay’ initiative involved demonstrating the region’s progression as a visitor destination, with many events and attractions specifically designed to ride out the winter season. 

The campaign is designed to coincide with the F.A.W.C! Food And Wine Classic multi-day festival, running over four consecutive weekends each June with 60 events on offer. The Winter Deco, held in July, boasts soirees, jazz performances, and cocktail evenings – requiring one’s best furs and vintage jackets.

You can watch Hawke’s Bay Tourism’s “Hello Winter, Hello Hawke’s Bay” video campaign here.