Prime Minister John Key has launched a tourism campaign encouraging New Zealanders to invite friends and family based overseas to visit here.
The Great Kiwi Invite campaign, which will run for four weeks, was launched in Auckland on Friday, the 10th anniversary of the highly successful "100% Pure New Zealand" marketing campaign.
The new campaign, run by Tourism New Zealand, invites New Zealanders to email a personal animated invitation to someone overseas.
If the invitation is accepted, the invitee goes into a draw to win one of 15 trips for two to New Zealand, flying Air New Zealand.
Mr Key, who is also Tourism Minister, dismissed suggestions that the $350,000 campaign was downmarket and that the accommodation sector would miss out.
Even if the visitors stayed with friends and family, he said, it would not stop them from spending money while they were here.
