News
Great South – Southland’s regional development agency, is urging the Government to allow interregional travel from Alert Level 2 sooner than later.
Chief executive Graham Budd said because of the region’s geographical location and low resident population, it was already disadvantaged, and further delays in travel would pose significant risks for the viability of businesses and the economic restart of Southland.
“Already we know that our tourism industry is hurting, and the reality is that if travel restrictions continue, many of our local businesses will no longer be viable.”
Great South’s call for interregional travel was made in full support of national tourism bodies such as Regional Tourism New Zealand and Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
Like their industry counterparts, the agency was confident that travel, hospitality and most tourism activities could operate safely under Alert Level 2.
Graham said approximately 60% of tourism spend across the region was attributed to the domestic market.
As well as leisure travel, the call also included supporting business travel – another critical part of the visitor economy, and enabling people to visit friends and family.
It had been a challenging time for Southland tourism over the past 12 months, with both Covid-19 and the February floods restricting visitor movements.