Wine Flight to take off
Two Air New Zealand Q300 aircraft are scheduled to take off from Blenheim this afternoon and cruise at 11,000ft, taking in spectacular views of some of New Zealand's best known wine regions, including Marlborough, Nelson, Martinborough/Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne.
On board the VIP passengers will enjoy wines from some of the regions they're flying over, including a Nelson Albariño, a Martinborough Pinot Noir and a Hawke's Bay Syrah.
Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says the Wine Flight is a major opportunity to showcase New Zealand wine and wine regions to a highly influential global audience.
"The passengers we will carry on the Wine Flight today come from 11 different countries and are leading figures in the global wine industry. The combination of the publications many of them write for and their extensive social media reach will create significant exposure for the New Zealand wine industry and New Zealand as a destination for wine tourism," says Mr Tod.
New Zealand Winegrowers' Global Marketing Director Chris Yorke says, "The Wine Flight allows us to offer this highly influential group of global wine media and trade representatives a totally fresh perspective on New Zealand wine, by flying them over the stunning regions that produce the fantastic wines that they'll be tasting."
The group has been in New Zealand to attend the inaugural International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration earlier this week, with many also attending the Chardonnay and Sparkling Symposium in Gisborne today and tomorrow.
Air New Zealand and New Zealand Winegrowers have a strong track record of working together to promote New Zealand wine and wine tourism. Wine tourism is a significant contributor to New Zealand's economy. In the year ended September 2015, more than 500,000 international visitors enjoyed a winery visit as part of their itinerary.
Air New Zealand is proud to be the naming rights sponsor of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards for three decades.
Ends
Note to editors: Images of today's Wine Flight will be available later this afternoon on request. Please email public.affairs@airnz.co.nz for more details.
Issued by Air New Zealand Public Affairs ph +64 21 747 320
About Star Alliance:
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca in Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.
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