Tourism New Zealand calls for visitors to halt obsession with influencer-style photos

Tourism New Zealand has called on tourists to stop seeking to take ‘perfect’ influencer-inspired photographs at scenic destinations, urging people to "do something new".

The New Zealand Government agency has released a light-hearted video calling on travellers to be more original in what they share something new on social media.

The video, featuring comedian Tom Sainsbury, explains how tourists go to great lengths to copy images they've seen on social media, suggesting that country is clamping down on travellers under the "social influence".

It builds on Tourism NZ’s Do Something New campaign, launched last year after borders closed because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign urges people to avoid clichéd poses like the "hot tub backshot" and the "summit spreadeagle" at Roy’s Peak near Wanaka.

Advising that the campaign was launched after repeatedly seeing the same pictures and poses, Bjoern Spreitzer, Tourism NZ Domestic Manager, told local news site Stuff “we want to continue the momentum of our domestic campaign by encouraging Kiwis to do something new in New Zealand - this can mean new tourism experiences, but we also want them to share something new on social media as well.

“We noticed that the same pictures or poses kept coming up, time and time again, no matter the location.

“There are so many incredible things to do in New Zealand, beyond the social trends.”

In the video, Sainsbury acts as a ranger in the 'social observation squad', who stops tourists from taking influencer-style pictures.

He tells one man posing at Roy’s Peak with his arms stretched out "I've seen all this before. We all have," he tells one man posing on a mountain with his arms stretched out.

He also lambasts people posing in lavender fields, and a photo of man sitting on a rock "contemplating".

He calls out other clichéd tropes including the ‘hot tub back shot’, ‘man sits quietly on the rock contemplating’ and ‘hot dog legs’.

Scenic spots in New Zealand such as the tree in Lake Wanaka and the nearby Roy’s Peak are among the most popular destinations for social media photos, with many striking the same poses.

In 2018, an image of people queuing to take photos at the summit of Roys Peak went viral on social media.

New Zealand’s borders are currently closed to almost all travellers in order to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

The country could stay shut to international visitors for most of this year, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who warned that travel could only restart safely when a high enough proportion of the population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, or if authorities have assurances that those vaccinated cannot transmit the virus.

However, Prime Minister Ardern added that New Zealand would continue to pursue travel bubbles with Australia and other Pacific nations, but that the rest of the world “poses too great a risk to our health and economy” right now.

Image: Roys Peak, the ideal and the reality in 2018. Credit: Lukas Stefanko/@LukasStefanko Source:Reddit.