The First Hand crew (from left) Trent Yeo, James Holman and
Ji Zhou have produced an online video which they hope will
move Chinese tourists to visit Queenstown. Photo supplied.
It is hoped an online video produced by three Queenstown
residents will encourage Chinese tourists to visit Queenstown
after being featured on a Chinese social media site.
The six-part video series capturing Queenstown's seasons was
produced by Shuangji Zhou, Trent Yeo and James Holman and
will screen on China's largest social media site - Sina
Weibo.
Co-producer Trent Yeo said the aim of Xie Hou Xin Xilan
(Encounter New Zealand) First Hand was to stimulate
online conversations about Queenstown among Chinese people
throughout the world.
"Our aim is to encourage potential visitors to both New
Zealand and Queenstown, through compelling imagery and
stories, showing them first hand that we're an aspirational
destination that's appealing, accessible and welcoming," Mr
Yeo said.
Sponsored by Destination Queenstown, Tourism New Zealand and
Auckland International Airport, the video was believed to be
the first seasonal destination video about New Zealand
produced exclusively for the Chinese online viewer.
The episodes will be delivered in both Mandarin and English
with subtitles.
Mr Yeo said the video was based on "a unique understanding of
New Zealand as a destination but, more importantly, conveying
the cultural drivers and nuances of the Chinese tourist".
"We want to open a window to what we offer here, remove
travel barriers and get people excited."
Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said the
video, "produced by people who live here, love Queenstown and
understand this audience", was "invaluable".
"First Hand is an innovative way of communicating and
inspiring millions of potential Chinese-speaking travellers."
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