Throng

Friday 30 July, 8.30pm

In this gripping final rose ceremony of The Bachelor, nestled amongst the beauty and calm of The Bay of Islands, Jason prepares to make one of the most difficult decisions of this life.

With his search for love now narrowed down to Melissa and Molly, the handsome single dad brings his son, Ty, to our shores. Jason hopes that by seeing each of the two remaining women with Ty, now age four, he can get a sense of how they interact, offering a hint as to how the three of them would mesh as a future family.

The bachelorettes also meet Jason's family who confront both women with some serious questions, and he has a touching heart-to-heart talk with his mother about how strong his feelings are for both women.

Jason's love affair with New Zealand is solidified in tonight's episode as he proclaims this is the most beautiful place he's ever been. Asked if he would recommend New Zealand, he says "New Zealand is 'the' place that must be on your list."

This will hopefully have a contagious spin-off for our tourism industry. Visits to Tourism New Zealand's website more than doubled after the first New Zealand episode aired in the US, and saw a further boost following the screening of the finale.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive, George Hickton says, "Being part of a pop culture phenomenon like The Bachelor boosts our profile and gives us the opportunity to showcase New Zealand landscapes and experiences to a huge audience."

Hickton also says involvement with The Bachelor has brought New Zealand exposure beyond what could be achieved through regular marketing activity.

"Tourism New Zealand is expecting some big challenges in the US this year due to the economic situation, but we see it as an opportunity to come out in a stronger position than we went in. This kind of high-profile activity will help us achieve that."

Off the success of this season's Bachelor in New Zealand, the tourism industry is now getting behind a promotion to help find New Zealand's own Bachelor for the next series. Fans of The Bachelor can visit the show's website, where New Zealand's eligible young men can apply online to be the next star!

Further celebration of the Kiwi presence in the Bachelor sees TV2 join forces with Tourism New Zealand and ZM to give Kiwis the chance to experience a little Queenstown romance for themselves. Check out www.zmonline.com for more details.

If Jason isn't confused enough about his feelings for Melissa and Molly, he is totally unprepared when DeAnna Pappas of The Bachelorette visits him at his Kauri Cliffs location. It's one of the most romantic and dramatic final rose ceremonies ever as Jason makes his momentous and heartfelt decision.