Tourism New Zealand is ramping up Rugby World Cup 2011 social media activity to inspire overseas followers of the Tournament and those associated with travelling supporters, to visit New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Brand & International PR Catherine Bates says, “Facebook and other social media platforms will be what many RWC 2011 visitors use to relay their experiences in New Zealand to friends and family.”
“Social will also be a key part of the mix for overseas based fans wanting to keep up with the play during the Tournament, so it’s important that we use these channels to create a buzz around the types of activities people can enjoy in New Zealand.”
Tourism New Zealand will use a mobile app and mobile site (created by SNA.PR and supported by NZTE) called ‘Capture the Flag’ to engage international visitors.  Capture the Flag is a location based photo-sharing game that will help visitors to find great places to go in New Zealand, meet up with friends and compatriots, and seamlessly share these experiences to the world - instantly from their mobile phones.
Tourism New Zealand is also creating a Facebook contest that will invite fans of the New Zealand 100% Pure Facebook page to discover what is going on in New Zealand by creating their ‘Ultimate New Zealand (Photo) Album’ from tagged photos on a New Zealand map.  Three NZ$5,000 travel voucher grand prizes will allow winners to bring their ultimate photo album to life, while instant prizes for activities and accommodation will also be offered to get more fans to engage with the images on the contest map.

All the images within the Facebook app will be pulled instantly from the photos uploaded to Capture the Flag.  This will allow potential visitors to see and interact with real-time photos being taken and shared during RWC 2011 so they can gain insights about great places to visit in New Zealand.

City.Mobi

Also in New Zealand today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Auckland.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Auckland.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.