Tourism New Zealand Combats Fatigue in New ‘Recharge Season’ Campaign
Tourism New Zealand has officially launched a new holiday season – Recharge Season – and is encouraging Kiwis to book a holiday that will leave them feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead as part of a new campaign developed by Special Group.
The new season is in response to a recent survey commissioned by Tourism New Zealand that revealed almost half of Kiwis feel that 2020 has impacted their levels of fatigue more than any year in recent memory, and almost a third of New Zealanders finished their summer holidays still feeling worn out.
As a nation, we’re more weary than ever given the events of 2020, and at this time of year, people tend to take a ‘flop and drop’ break where they do nothing, when in actual fact, it is widely acknowledged that an ‘active’ break will leave you feeling more recharged.
Leading psychologist Jacqui Maguire says that when we are fatigued and feeling like we’ve exhausted our mental and physical capacity, a ‘drop and sloth’ holiday is often what we are drawn too. Whilst there is no doubt rest is an important component of recovery, it’s by no means the complete answer to a recharging holiday.
Says Maguire: “Research indicates that to recover from fatigue and stress, people need to engage in activities which produce positive emotions and boost their sense of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. This includes participating in creative, physical, social and intellectual activities.”
Furthermore, Maguire notes that travel holidays are known to boost overall wellbeing. Visiting new places and engaging in local cultural activities decreases stress, boosts life satisfaction and enhances people’s perspectives on their life, resilience and creativity.
Finally, Maguire says the possibility that active recovery may also prevent future fatigue and stress. Building wellbeing tools through meaningful activities with others can be used in the future to problem solve and navigate life’s overwhelm and challenges.
Recharge Season will run from April 27 to June 6th to encourage all New Zealanders to book a short break and recharge. Doing something new, whether it’s physical, cultural, or creative will leave Kiwis feeling refreshed for the year ahead.
Says Bjoern Spreitzer, general manager domestic, Tourism New Zealand: “New Zealand is one of the world’s top tourism destinations, and we’re thankful that so many New Zealanders have taken the opportunity to explore more of their own backyard in recent months.
“The launch of Recharge Season is another timely reminder to any Kiwis feeling weary or fatigued to get out and about. Doing something new by connecting with culture or seeking out those awe- inspiring landscapes can leave us feeling refreshed and recharged for the year ahead.”
Says Tony Bradbourne, founder and CEO of Special Group: “It was no surprise that the insights showed how exhausted Kiwis have been feeling, but it did provide us with a strong creative opportunity to share this with the rest of New Zealand. The upcoming ‘shoulder season’ was the perfect moment in time to do something different and we’re excited to flex the “Do Something New” platform in a way that really spoke to how weary people have been feeling this past year.”
