Sidharth Malhotra, Tourism New Zealand’s ambassador to India, touched down in Christchurch this morning to a welcome from two sporting greats and members of the local Indian community.
The popular Bollywood star is starting his second visit to New Zealand, experiencing more of the country, visiting places he hasn’t been before and sharing his adventures with his followers back home.
Former BlackCap stars Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming were in Christchurch to greet Sidharth and will join him on the Canterbury leg of his visit. Brendon McCullum met Sidharth during the Prime Minister’s visit to India last month and Stephen Fleming accompanied Sidharth on activities during his highly successful visit last year.
Sidharth’s first visit resulted in a massive increase in the number of Indians more likely to visit New Zealand for a holiday. During his time in New Zealand, 2.8 million people engaged with him via social media, including 57,000 people engaging with each of his Facebook posts.
India is a key emerging market for New Zealand. Nearly 50,000 Indians visited in the year to September, nearly half of them travelling here for a holiday.
Sidharth will spend three days in Christchurch and Canterbury before travelling to Rotorua, Waikato and the Auckland region. He leaves New Zealand on November 20.
Fans can follow his journey on social media via the hashtag #SidNZ