SAM Magazine-Wellington, New Zealand, May 17, 2007-The New Zealand ski industry is starting to push for a bigger slice of the Aussie pie, targeting Australian skiers with television advertising for the first time.

New Zealand already taps into an enthusiastic Aussi market. Last year, more than 101,000 overseas skiers spent an estimated NZ$342 million during their stay, approximately half who were Australian.

The New Zealand Ski Tourism Marketing network wants to build upon those numbers, and has teamed up with Tourism New Zealand to back the television campaign. The partnership is a first, as is the ad campaign featuring skiing. The 15-second spot began airing earlier this week.

"Expectations are high for a great 2007 ski season and feedback is that early-bird early bookings are strong and tracking above last year," Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton says. That would parallel the trend of Aussies heading to New Zealand; this market grew 8.8% in March 2007, and overall travel numbers suggest this growth will continue.