Domestic tourism campaign 'long overdue' for Dunedin

Taieri Gorge Railway chief executive Murray Bond, with Taieri Gorge Railway marketing manager Barbara Reid, believes marketing Dunedin to New Zealander’s outside the city is an important step in capitalising on Dunedin’s tourism potential.

Mr Bond said Dunedin was losing tens of millions of dollars a year in tourism income because of a lack of domestic marketing.

‘‘It could be hundreds of millions - most New Zealanders have very little idea that there are so many quality tourist attractions here,'' Mr Bond said.

‘‘Virtually every visitor to Dunedin will come to the station and we are well placed to speak with many of them.

The biggest comment from visitors, by far, is that they didn't know there was so much to do and they wished they'd planned to spend more time here. We hear that hundreds of times each summer.''

For that reason, Mr Bond was ‘‘very happy'' with Tourism Dunedin's Passport to Love the Dunedin Difference campaign, but was eager to see the campaign expanded to target New Zealanders outside the city, he said.

‘‘We are particularly looking at years two and three of the passport campaign.

‘‘Year one is valuable because it will encourage more Dunedin people to visit local attractions, which will allow them to then market those experiences on to friends and family.

But of much more importance is the marketing of Dunedin outside the city - which won't really start until year two and three of the campaign.''

Mr Bond said more than 600,000 people visited the Dunedin Station each year and last year the railway carried 83,326 people.

Thirty-five per cent of those people were from New Zealand and about seven per cent were from Dunedin, he said.

‘‘We're already delighted with the support we get from Dunedin people. Thousands of them have taken the train many times, which is why year one of the campaign is like icing on the cake for us.''