Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says introducing a special public holiday is one of many ideas the Government is "actively considering" as a way to inject money into the struggling tourism industry.
Ardern made the comments while in Rotorua where she was meeting with key tourism leaders as the industry looks for ways to recover from COVID-19.
The Project NZ's Jeremy Corbett has been actively campaigning for a national 'GOOT Day' or 'Get Out Of Town Day' encouraging Kiwis to discover more of Aotearoa.
"It's not often I have an idea. Imagine my excitement that the Prime Minister has had the same one!" Corbett told Newshub.
"A holiday is a fitting thank you to Kiwis for doing what we were asked and getting New Zealand a gold medal in beating coronavirus."
"We've been championing a new public holiday for later this year to help support local tourism, especially since we missed Easter in the lockdown," said Jon Bridges, executive producer of The Project NZ.
"The campaign is gaining momentum because it's a very good idea. If we can get back just one of our lost long weekends, we can support tourism by getting out of town. It's great to hear the PM is considering the idea and hopefully we'll get an announcement soon."
Corbett's push for New Zealanders to have a day of discovery has already gained support from thousands online, but today's comment from Ardern means the concept may be more possible than was initially thought.
"My message to Kiwis is: come and experience your own backyard and come and experience the culture and hospitality here in Aotearoa," Ardern said.
