Taylor Swift endorsement a gift to NZ tourism

Taylor Swift (Reuters, file)
Taylor Swift (Reuters, file)

Pop superstar Taylor Swift has told her millions of fans that Bethells Beach in Auckland is the most beautiful she's ever seen.

The tourism industry says it's the type of exposure money can't buy.

"We are in New Zealand on one of -- not one of -- the most beautiful beach I've ever been on in my life," she said.

The west coast Auckland beach was one of several New Zealand locations Swift used in her 'Out of the Woods' music video.

This morning the singer tweeted a behind-the-scenes clip of the making of the video to her 70 million Twitter followers, and in it she doesn't just heap praise on the beach.

"These are the most elaborate sets I've ever seen and I think they have such amazing access to incredible trees and plants and things in New Zealand," she said. "I mean, that's all I can come up with to explain why the forest sets are so good."

Tourism New Zealand says since it was uploaded this morning the video has already had 500,000 views and that has potential benefits for the tourism industry here.

"Certainly someone of her scale, 74 million Facebook fans, choosing to come down here on holiday with her family before Christmas -- money can't buy authentic endorsement from a superstar," says Tourism New Zealand marketing manager Andrew Fraser.

It's an endorsement Tourism New Zealand will be hoping to cash in on for some time yet.

Newshub.