We know you love New Zealand, but don't just take our word for it – hear what your fellow holidaymakers had to say in New Zealand Tourism's latest ad campaign I t's not often that holidaymakers get to play a starring role in a country's advertising campaign, but earlier this year Tourism New Zealand thrust some very willing British travellers into the limelight as part of its latest ad campaign, What Do You Say UK? Tourism New Zealand let UK travellers exercise their own opinion in more than 1,000 hours of footage collected in and around the country's travel hot spots. Around 200 British travellers volunteered to talk about their holiday experiences, which were whittled down to eight 40- second ads starring 22 holidaymakers. The footage was complemented by 10,000 holiday snaps that were incorporated in the final edit. Holidaymakers who made it into the final ads were paid a one- off appearance fee of NZ$ 1,000 – not a lottery win, but much more agreeable than a poke in the eye from the likes of Simon Cowell. Tourism New Zealand believes it is the first destination to incorporate the unedited ' in- situ' comments of holidaymakers enjoying the country, in a commercial. " It's visually stunning and so different to what we are used to. We loved the mountains, the lakes, the colours and the textures. It's uplifting and it does your soul good," said Val and Pete from Sheffield. The ads began airing in September and filming updates will continue throughout New Zealand's forthcoming summer – which means there is still an opportunity for holidaymakers heading there to take a lead role in future commercials. The next phase of What Do You Say UK? sees the launch of a mobile movie studio which will tour New Zealand from now ( December) until April 2009, allowing British holidaymakers to share their travel experiences with family and friends in a unique holiday video diary. Travellers in New Zealand can call in to the ' Have your say' portable studio to film a personal message about their travels, whether it's swimming with dolphins, partying in Wellington or tramping the Routeburn track. This will then be edited, together with their own photography, into a digital holiday scrapbook that will be posted onto YouTube. The personalised films will also be available via a unique page on www. newzealand. com and an email will be generated and sent out to family and friends with a YouTube link. The holiday videos can also be uploaded to Facebook. For the schedule of the mobile filming unit please visit www. newzealand. com Have you already visited New Zealand? Tell " It's visually stunning and so different to what we are used to." Flights, camera, action 24 WINTER 2008/ 09 www. travelmood. com competition

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN Have you already visited New Zealand? Tellus your impressions and you could be in with a chance to win two return tickets back to the destination, where you could find yourself starring in the next New Zealand commercial. The winner will also have their story published on Travelmood's website. How to win Send us an inspiring travel piece based on an experience you've had in New Zealand. What moved, excited or changed you? We're looking for humourous, quirky, uplifting, poignant, adventurous and evocative accounts – possibly all of these. Writing tips Think about travel pieces you've read recently that have inspired you. Why do you remember it? The best stories often start by describing one memorable experience that subtly creates a picture in the readers' mind of a place, its people or atmosphere. Humour and personal anecdotes work well, and remember all of the senses – including smell. Do… Try to grab the reader's attention with your first paragraph – set the scene and try to describe something that you feel is unique to the destination. There's room for description and colour later. Don't… Be tempted to launch into a diary- style travelogue: " I did that, we went there…" Nobody wants to read a blow- by- blow account of your holiday ( and they probably don't want to attend your video night, either!) And finally Don't be afraid to tell us whyyou went – whether it was to re- kindle a romance in one of New Zealand's romantic lodges, to satisfy your wanderlust or prove you're fighting fit at 50, or sexy at 60. How to enter For our competition terms and conditions plus details on how to enter visit www. travelmood. com/ experience www. travelmood. comWINTER 2008/ 09 25 * Round- the- world routing is: Heathrow- Hong Kong- Auckland- Los Angeles- London. For full terms and conditions please see www. travelmood. com/ experience Win, and fly with a companion from Heathrow to New Zealand in Pacific Economy class. Or why not stop off in two of the world's most exciting cities, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, and turn your holiday into a round- the- world* adventure? Now… have your say and WIN A PAIR OF RETURN TICKETS to New Zealand