New Zealand’s latest tourism campaign has sparked widespread ridicule, with critics likening its slogan “Everyone Must Go!” to a clearance sale advertisement rather than an invitation to explore the country’s breathtaking landscapes.
Launched by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sunday, the NZ$500,000 ($286,000) marketing initiative aims to boost Australian visitor numbers in an effort to reignite the tourism sector and drive economic recovery. Currently, Australian visitor figures sit at 88% of 2019 levels, following a slow post-pandemic rebound.
Tourism Minister Louise Upston defended the campaign, saying: “What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we’re open for business, there are some great deals on, and we’d love to see you soon.”
The campaign’s slogan has been widely ridiculed. Source: NZ Tourism.
However, opposition figures and the public have been less than enthusiastic. Labour’s tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel expressed concerns about the country’s fragile tourism infrastructure, warning that an increase in visitors could overwhelm services without further government investment. Meanwhile, the Green Party’s Celia Wade-Brown criticised the use of funds from New Zealand’s tourist tax for marketing purposes rather than conservation efforts.
Tangaere-Manuel told Radio NZ that “it makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale”.
Social media reactions have also taken a sharp turn, with users drawing unintended parallels between the slogan and New Zealand’s record-high emigration numbers in 2024. Labour MP Barbara Edmonds wrote on social media platform, X: “New Zealanders are voting with their feet, leaving in record high numbers, just as the Govt begins focusing on marketing to Australians.”
Other Kiwis across social media claim the slogan better describes the exodus of their own residents. A record number of people, 72,000, left the country in 2024, according to Stats NZ. “Everyone is going … to Australia,” one person wrote on the PM’s Instagram announcement.
Despite the backlash, the New Zealand government remains focused on reviving its integral tourism sector, which accounted for nearly 7% of the workforce in 2023. In a further push to attract overseas visitors, the government recently relaxed visa restrictions, allowing tourists to work remotely while staying in the country.
Luxon remains undeterred, urging Australians to make the trip across the ditch. “It’s time to swap the thongs for the jandals, the Hunter Valley for the Hawke’s Bay, and get the bloody hell over here,” he said.