Tourism NZ says ditch influencer photoshoots and social media trends to try something new

Travellers were encouraged to share their creative travel shots with #DoSomethingNewNZ.

(YouTube)

New Zealand’s tourism agency is asking travellers to ditch influencer-inspired photoshoots at tourism hotspots with a tongue-in-cheek campaign.

In the video comedian Thomas Sainsbury stars as a lone ranger in the “social observation squad."

He is seen scolding tourists for peddling in tropes such as a woman wearing a hat in lavender field, a man quietly thinking on a rock, and “a classic one in these parts: the summit spreadeagle”.

“We’ve seen all this before. We all have,” Sainsbury tells a couple caught posing with their arms and legs splayed out atop a mountain.

Tourism NZ’s call to skip the typical social media shots and “share something new” follows the launch in May 2020 of its Do Something New campaign, aimed at boosting domestic tourism while borders remained closed to international visitors.

Travellers were encouraged to share their creative travel shots with the hashtag #DoSomethingNewNZ for a chance to win a $500 domestic travel voucher.

“We noticed that the same pictures or poses kept coming up, time and time again, no matter the location,” Bjoern Spreitzer, Tourism NZ domestic manager, told Stuff.

“There are so many incredible things to do in New Zealand, beyond the social trends.”

Social media platforms such as Instagram have driven the popularity of a few spots in New Zealand, including the tree in Lake Wanaka and the day hike to Roy’s Peak nearby.

In 2018 a photograph of the “social media queue” on the track went viral for showing the behind-the-scenes of the “summit spreadeagle” shot.