Auck tourism campaign to keep Kiwi dollars here

It's thought a new Auckland tourism campaign will keep more Kiwi tourist dollars here.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development has launched an $800,000 campaign aimed at attracting more domestic tourists to the city.

The 'No Passport Required' campaign is aimed at bringing in $2 billion a year by 2021.

Tourism sector spokesman Rob McIntyre says the industry's been saying for a number of years that our biggest market is the one down the road.

"Yet we haven't been actively targeting them, and we've been letting them be targeted by other destinations - whether that's Gold Coast, Bali, Fiji, etcetera."

Mr McIntyre says the campaign will spread the benefit from domestic tourism around more than it has been in the past.

He says a lot more activity has opened up in Auckland over the past few years.

"That's the key thing. People go away on holidays generally to do things, and see and do different things, and we've got all that here in Auckland but we've just never, as New Zealanders I don't think we've ever really acknowledged it, it's just sort of been there."

He says we need to show people the broad range of activities there are in Auckland.

The new strategy for Auckland is expected to provide a much needed shot in the arm for the country's $23 billion tourism industry.

Tourism Industry Association chief executive Martin Snedden says it highlights the importance of domestic tourism to New Zealand.

He says Kiwis travelling at home contribute $36 million in economic activity every day, which is sometimes undervalued and taken for granted.

Photo: Edward Swift