Not very inviting

“Everyone has to go”: PR disaster causes ridicule

New Zealand's tourism has been ailing since corona - the current campaign is unlikely to herald a turnaround.

(Bild: New Zealand government)

New Zealand actually wanted to attract visitors from Australia with a new tourism campaign - but the campaign is causing a lot of ridicule and criticism. The slogan "Everyone must go!" ("Everyone must go!") reminds many New Zealanders less of an invitation to the country and more of a sell-out or even an involuntary mass exodus.

The New Zealand government launched the campaign on Sunday. It is intended to encourage Australian vacationers to visit the country and will be broadcast or played on radio stations and social media in Australia between February and March with a budget of 500,000 New Zealand dollars (equivalent to around 280,000 euros).

Tourism campaign meets with scorn and derision
"What this campaign from Tourism New Zealand is saying to our Australian friends is that we are open for business, there are some great offers out there and we would like to see them soon," explained Tourism Minister Louise Upston.

However, the slogan quickly became the target of ridicule at home. Many compared it to the English "Everything must go!", a typical advertising slogan for clearance sales. On social media, the slogan was even referred to as an "apocalypse ad" or "a desperate plea for a toilet".

Irony in the midst of job cuts and record emigration
The campaign is particularly explosive in light of current developments: The New Zealand government is cutting thousands of public sector jobs and the emigration of New Zealanders abroad has reached an all-time high. Critics therefore accuse the government of having created an unintentional double bottom with "Everyone must go!".

Green Party tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown joked to national TV station RNZ that the slogan could just as easily refer to the much-needed toilets in some tourist hotspots: "I mean, the queues are ridiculous."

Opposition politician Cushla Tangaere-Manuel from the Labour Party underlined the political explosiveness of the slogan: "The irony is that this is exactly how many people in Aotearoa (which is the most widely used and accepted Māori term for New Zealand, ed.) New Zealand feel right now - there have been so many layoffs."

Government defends campaign
Despite the criticism, the Tourism Minister stands behind the campaign. A spokesperson told the Guardian that Upston was "very pleased" with the advertising. She had received positive feedback from tourism companies and marketing experts.

The campaign is part of a wider attempt to attract more tourists, digital nomads and investors to New Zealand to boost the economy. Before the pandemic, tourism was the country's largest export industry, bringing in 40.9 billion dollars (approx. 22.4 billion euros). The latest figures show that these figures are rising again - in 2023, tourism already generated 37.7 billion dollars (approx. 20.6 billion euros).

A PR disaster with a long tradition?
New Zealand tourism campaigns have a long history between enthusiasm and criticism. The award-winning "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign is celebrated for its memorability, but is often questioned with regard to the country's environmental footprint. Everyone must go!" now joins this tradition - albeit less for its depth of content than for an unfortunate play on words that many would rather see in a sales ad than in a national tourism strategy.