I wonder what the embassy is like. I wonder what the ambassador is like. It's exciting.
My image of an ambassador is a dandy gentleman with a little moustache, a bow tie and a cane. Is a cane old-fashioned?
No, maybe New Zealand is a rugby country, so maybe they're just thick-chested rugby players wearing rugby shirts. And they're dancing the haka to welcome the visitors. No way.
Well, we'll save that as a treat for the day, but before that, we need to do some preparations.
In order to make the most of this rare opportunity, I need to think about what I'm going to say in advance.
The ambassador must also be seen as a top salesman selling New Zealand products to Japan.
Wine is one of the country's leading specialities, along with lamb, kiwi fruit, cheese, Manuka honey and merino wool products.
In other words, the promotion of New Zealand wine that we are aiming for is also what the ambassador is aiming for. We are all friends, so to speak, working towards the same goal.
In that case, I would like to know about the wine-related information that the ambassador and the Ministry of Trade have. If we could obtain tools to convey the appeal of New Zealand wine, I think it would be a great help to our daily Bokumo Wine and Bokumo outreach activities.
However, you probably only have a limited amount of time to talk.
So, you need to summarize the main points and be able to speak concisely.
So, I'd like to take this opportunity to come up with some ideas for a list of questions.
This is the first thing I want to know.
- In what ways do you think New Zealand wines are superior to wines from other countries?
The Japanese wine market is very competitive, with wines imported from many different countries and Japanese wine growing at a rapid pace.
In order to get people to choose New Zealand, we need to communicate its advantages. What do you think are New Zealand's strong points as a country? That's the first thing I want to ask.
On a related note, if I could go into it a bit more I'd like to say this too.
・I would like to have some information about fair trade wine.
New Zealand wines are less competitive in terms of price. There are very few wines under 1000 yen, with the bulk of the wines being in the 2000 to 3000 yen range.
The main reason for this is that many wineries are family-run and unable to produce on a large scale.
I've also heard that another reason why wine is not so cheap is because they protect the working conditions of those involved in winemaking and pay them a fair wage.
Many New Zealand wineries rely on migrant and seasonal workers from neighbouring countries.
The system of paying these people a fair price makes the prices higher than in other countries. Fair trade efforts are reflected in the prices. That's why the prices are what they are.
If this is indeed the case, then I think they should clearly promote their efforts, and I think that some people will be willing to buy it even if it is a little more expensive.
If you have such materials, I would be grateful if you could share them with me.
...Oh no, things are starting to get a little overheated.
Here's a slightly lighter question.
-What is the intention and effect of making Ueno Juri a New Zealand tourism ambassador and using her in the campaign?
I haven't seen many campaigns using celebrities to promote the appeal of traveling to New Zealand until now, so I wondered why this time.
The other day, a person working for Air New Zealand came to the counter and said,
"Before COVID-19, the majority of passengers on the Narita-Auckland flight were Japanese, but now the number of Japanese has decreased and the majority are foreigners."
" he told me. What valuable first-hand information. What you need is an expert at the counter.
As expected, the weak yen has caused a decrease in travelers from Japan. So, they needed some kind of trigger to trigger this, which is why they made an offer to a celebrity this time.
On Instagram, she posted pictures of her touring wineries in Martinborough with her husband, Sho Wada. Fans of this couple will likely be going to places like this in the future.
However, personally, I feel that the people who are undeterred by the weak yen and want to go on holiday overseas are a little older.
For example, if news were to spread that Kuwata Keisuke and Hara Yuko enjoyed the great outdoors and starry skies in New Zealand, I think the number of travelers from Japan would increase significantly (this is just my own fantasy).
Anyway, I'd like to know how much of a response this campaign received and whether they will continue to use celebrities in future campaigns.
This is getting a little long (sorry, as always), so I'll just write down a few other things that I've thought of before the day comes.
Oh, that's right. Speaking of preparation, the guide said there was a dress code for this visit.
Smart casual, you say. I know American casual and Shibuji casual, but smart casual?
What is this, how do I prepare? Bow tie and moustache? No, definitely not.
Oh, that's right. I'll ask a regular customer who is a professional in the fashion industry next time.
