Hopes are being pinned on Bollywood to boost New Zealand’s tourism profile in India, with a “major” production coming to Queenstown in late January.

Tourism New Zealand aims to bring India to the top performance spot in South Asia.

Holiday arrivals from India (typically welcome during New Zealand’s ‘low’ season from March to May) in March 2009 went up by almost 70% from March 2008 and arrivals have risen steadily since then.

In October 2009, visitor arrivals from India were up 15.3% on October 2008, to 2,047.

Visitor numbers are tracking up, with the latest accommodation statistics mirroring international visitor arrivals for September.

Figures released last month showed visitor arrivals were up 9% from 157,700 in September 2008 to 172,400 in September 2009, passing the previous high for a September month, of 168,800 in 2007.

Backpackers are the new target of a Tourism New Zealand campaign.

Dubbed “Go all the way” to New Zealand, the northern hemisphere-targeted campaign was launched by the tourism body yesterday at the country’s first backpacker industry conference at Auckland’s AUT University.

Tourism New Zealand boss George Hickton said the sector was resilient during 2009 and the campaign aimed to ensure New Zealand was on the list of places backpackers wanted to visit.

The successful 100% Pure New Zealand tourism marketing campaign will turn 10 years old this year, providing some cheer for an industry battling the economic downturn.

After a rocky start, the campaign that was rushed through in 1999 to meet the new millennium has become New Zealand’s longest-running tourism campaign and one of the longest-running global campaigns in the world.