News
Photo: Tourism NZ
Southland’s tourism industry could benefit from Government funding that boosts regional tourism businesses and infrastructure, says Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie and Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay.
“$4 million from the Tourism Growth Partnership (TGP) has been set aside for regional tourism projects and the Government’s annual $3 million Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund is now open for applications,” Dowie says.
“Tourism is booming here the south as people from around the world and New Zealand flock to our region to visit places like Queenstown and Central Otago, Stewart Island Rakiura and new attractions like the Bill Richardson Transport World in Invercargill,” says Sarah Dowie.
“Over recent years, Southland has experienced positive growth in tourism numbers and all indications point towards that positive trend continuing. More people are coming, staying longer and spending more and this has a real flow-on effect to the local economy. In the year to March 2016, Southland guest nights rose 10.7% to 437,346,” Barclay says.
“In order for Southland to take full economic advantage of this, we need to develop more commissionable product. We have beautiful scenery, and present an authentic Kiwi experience, but we need to establish more tangible tourism products that can be marketed and sold both to domestic and international visitors to Southland,” says Todd Barclay.
Last year there were more than 5.3 million international guest nights in the Invercargill, Clutha, Gore, Southland and Queenstown Lakes regions, and visitors to Southland and Queenstown Lakes spent over $2.1 billion.
“These visitors boost the economy in the south, help create local jobs and provide endless opportunities for our great hospitality businesses. However, it’s vital we ensure growing visitor numbers are managed sustainably and that our region has the capacity to continue reaping the benefits of tourism. This funding is an important part of supporting this,” says Sarah Dowie.
The Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund helps manage the growing demand from tourists by providing communities with new or enhanced smaller infrastructure such as carparks and restrooms.
The TGP is a joint-funding partnership between the Government and the private sector to increase the value of existing tourism projects or to get new projects underway.
“Southland has many small communities which attract a growing number of tourists and we want to do our best to support these communities to put forward a strong case for a share of this fund,” says Todd Barclay.
“The growth is a credit to the hardworking tourism industry, as they continue to attract visitors from all over the world to stunning southern New Zealand. We have so much to offer here and it’s great to see the growth in tourism to the region as more people realise that,” says Todd Barclay.
“It’s great to see the Government continuing to support tourism in New Zealand. Since 2008, we have invested an unprecedented $700 million in tourism and tourism promotion,” says Sarah Dowie.
“This is helping fuel rapid growth in the sector. A record 3.34 million visitors came to New Zealand in the year ending July 2016, and spent an all-time high of $10.3 billion,” says Sarah Dowie.
For more information about applying for the Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund, visit: mbie.govt.nz.
For more information about the TGP, visit mbie.govt.nz/info-services.