Tourism New Zealand and STA Travel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding worth a combined $1 million annually as part of a multi-year partnership to target the influential long-haul youth travel sector in North America. The partnership will also take place in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.
The MOU was announced today by Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler and John Constable, Chief Executive Officer, STA Travel Group. It provides guidelines for co-operative marketing and trade engagement programs with matched funding from both organizations.
Bowler says the MOU formalizes an existing, long working relationship between the two organizations. “As the world’s largest youth travel organization offering student and youth, exclusive discount pricing, STA is already a key partner in our work to target youth travelers in our key long-haul western markets – which combined contribute over a third of total youth arrivals each year,” he says.
Under the MOU, the organizations will collaborate to jointly promote youth tourism to New Zealand across marketing, online, trade and PR activity. As well as tactical marketing campaigns, activity will also be rolled out across social and online channels, with STA launching its New Zealand social hub in each market which will become the basis of inspiring youth travelers.