Auckland tourism has had a boost from an unexpected area – an episode of American reality show The Biggest Loser, filmed in the super city, has won an award.
The episode won a Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programmes, beating competition from shows including Master Chef and The Amazing Race.
The award is director Neil de Groot’s first.
When the episode aired in the US last April it was billed as a “can’t miss”, and picked up an audience of over 7.2 million viewers.
During the show the nine Biggest Loser contestants sprinted up the Sky Tower, sailed an America’s Cup yacht and were put through their paces in workouts in the Auckland Domain.
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development tourism manager Jason Hill says the “outstanding result” will have a positive impact on tourism, highlighting the city to the lucrative US market.
“The initial show provided significant profile for Auckland and we expect that this award will result in repeat views and interest,” he says.
“The profile for Auckland also bodes well ahead of the launch of the pending United Airlines flights from Houston to Auckland.”
Gregg Anderson of Tourism New Zealand was also pleased with the “very exciting” win, saying it shows New Zealand can provide an excellent backdrop for reality television.
3 News