Building Long-Term Growth: DC Product Development Strategy

---

Brief

Client - Destination DC

Campaign - Washington, DC Product Development

Target Audience - New Zealand and Australian Wholesalers

Develop products and itineraries with key airline, wholesale and tour operator partners in Australia and New Zealand.

---

Idea

When Destination DC appointed Canuckiwi to manage their trade representation in Australia and New Zealand, the destination had presence in the market, but the opportunity existed to strengthen and broaden product development with a focus on inspiring longer stays, improving product diversity, and including Washington, DC into key East Coast USA itineraries. Our initial task was to review the existing DC product available in-market and identify opportunities for growth. From there, we focused on strengthening Destination DC’s product strategy by working closely with trade partners—activating relationships through collaborative marketing initiatives and targeted in-market support.

As a result of this work, 22 travel partners across Australia and New Zealand either enhanced their existing DC product or introduced new Washington, DC itineraries altogether. These updates reflected a noticeable shift in how the destination was positioned: not just as a political capital, but as a vibrant city known for its arts, culture, food, and walkable neighbourhoods.

This Project was driven by a three-pronged approach:

1. Trade partnerships: Engaging directly with key operators to build and refine product offerings tailored to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

   
   

2. Marketing co-ops: Ensuring paid co-op campaigns included product development elements, such as creating new landing pages, building new packages, and developing evergreen content that extended the campaign’s impact.

   
   

3. Leveraging consumer campaigns: Wherever possible, we integrated call-to-action partners into consumer marketing efforts. This created a mutually beneficial exchange: partners received valuable advertising exposure, and Destination DC gained new bookable content created for the campaign.

By making product a key part of every marketing conversation, we ensured that campaigns delivered dual value: immediate consumer awareness and long-term, evergreen product development.

---

Results

Examples of new Washington, DC product now available in Australia and New Zealand as a result of our efforts:

Helloworld 

• Colonial America Self-Drive

• Best of Washington, DC City Stay

• Eastern Values Self-Drive

• Patriots Trails Escorted Group Tour

• Great Eastern Cities Escorted Group Tour

• Washington, DC City Stay

• Washington, DC Experience

• Monuments & Museum Explorers

House of Travel New Zealand

• American Heritage - Suggested Self-Drive

• Highlights of America Eastbound by Rail

• Iconic Sports Stadiums - Self-Drive

• The Great American Road Trip - Self-Drive

Travel USA

• 4 Night Ultimate Washington, DC

Qantas Holidays

• There's Only One Washington, DC landing page

Flight Centre

• Washington, DC Travel Guide

Luxury Escapes

• Expanded hotel offering in Washington, DC

• Guide to Washington, DC

Infinity Holidays

• Iconic Cities and Beyond Road Trip

• Washington, DC 3 Night City Break

• 3 Night Monuments, Culture and Local Flavour

Air New Zealand

• Discover Washington, DC landing page

Urban Adventures by Intrepid

• Expanded DC touring offering

Klook Australia

• Washington, DC Pass

Expedia

• Custom "always on" landing page

---

What has this work done?

It has reinforced Australia and New Zealand as core international markets for Washington, DC, despite growing competition and increased investment from other North American and global destinations