Summer across Australia and New Zealand marks the biggest movement of people all year. Airports hum, highways fill and retail centres buzz as travellers shop, dine and explore. For marketers, these months represent a high-stakes opportunity to connect with audiences at scale when they are in the right mindset to spend.
Travel demand is soaring
In New Zealand, spending in major tourism regions such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown is two to three times higher in summer compared to winter. Tourism overall contributed NZ$44.4 billion to the economy in the year ended March 2024, a 14.6% increase year-on-year.
In Australia, the December quarter is consistently the strongest for domestic overnight tourism, with $28.1 billion AUD spent in Q4 2024 alone. Outbound travel is booming too, with over 1.3 million Australians visiting New Zealand in the year to June 2024. Making Australia the number one visitor market for New Zealand.
Where DOOH meets the journey
Programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) allows brands to reach travellers at every touchpoint of the holiday journey:
- Transit hubs: Serving as gateways to holidays, airports, train stations and bus shelters provide high-dwell moments when travellers are most receptive to making decisions. These are environments where inspiration strikes and purchase intent is high.
- Retail hubs: Perfectly placed to reach shoppers and tourists in bustling retail centres, DOOH aligns seamlessly with the Christmas shopping and boxing day sale rush. These environments influence purchase decisions in real time, right at the point of purchase.
- Outdoor: Moving with the flow of travel, roadside billboards, bus shelters and urban panels reach holidaymakers en route to beaches, wineries, festivals and regional getaways. From highways to the coast, shopping centres to transit hubs, DOOH keeps brands visible along every step of the journey.
By activating across these contexts, marketers can drive both immediate engagement and long-term brand growth.
The context advantage
What sets DOOH apart is its ability to flex with context. With programmatic, advertisers can sync campaigns to the rhythms of the season, capitalising on the summer holiday spike when travel and spending are at their peak. Location adds another layer of precision, from tourism hotspots and coastal travel corridors to shopping precincts buzzing with holiday activity. By layering in dynamic creative like weather triggers, sale countdowns, or product promotions, campaigns can respond in real time to the world around them. Dynamic creative unlocks a whole new world of possibilities for DOOH, making ads more relevant, engaging and effective, encouraging action and driving sales.
Turning peak travel into impact
The summer holiday season is when consumers are on the move, wallets are open, and attention is heightened. For brands, it’s the moment to lean in with smart, context-driven DOOH strategies. Tourism Fiji’s recent programmatic DOOH campaign demonstrated how aligning with the travel journey can drive measurable results, including significant lifts in awareness and intent to visit.
Programmatic makes it possible to maximise reach across Australia and New Zealand’s busiest travel months, continuously optimise campaigns in market, and deliver outcomes that can be measured and proven. When the travel season peaks, programmatic DOOH ensures your brand impact peaks right alongside it.
Ready to own the summer travel season?
Whether it’s inspiring holiday bookings, driving retail sales, or building brand affinity, programmatic DOOH ensures your message meets travellers when and where it matters.
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