Niue Tourism

Purpose

Niue was proud to be the world’s first country to be recognised as Dark Sky Place by the International Dark Sky Association. This accolade shone a light on the significance and beauty of the island's unspoilt night skies, giving Niue the opportunity to tap into the fast growing global Astro-tourism trend.

Plan

A global media relations campaign was undertaken to tell the world about Niue’s Dark Sky announcement. Messaging highlighted Niue’s commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism and the fact the island had achieved formal protection of its land, sea and sky. Media interviews were arranged with Tourism Niue’s CEO and other key stakeholders, and NZ travel media were invited to attend a launch event in Niue.

Impact

News of Niue becoming a Dark Sky Nation went far and wide, with the story being featured on One News, Newshub’sThe Project, Radio New Zealand, NewstalkZB, Stuff.co.nz and numerous other local media outlets. Internationally the story ran on the Lonely Planet, CNN, Forbes, The Evening Standard, The Mirror, USA Today and ABC News, and was picked up by numerous news, lifestyle and travel media. More than 100 media hits were achieved, with a reach of over 2.5 million in the NZ market alone. This interest presents Niue with the opportunity to leverage growing global interest in Astro-tourism.