University of Otago tourism lecturer James Higham said Queenstown already had a high profile; the resort was promoting itself to Aucklanders again, the ski season was looming, and Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult had made a well-publicised bungy jump.
Southern cities such as Dunedin and Invercargill needed to promote themselves too, to ensure they were not overshadowed as destinations.
Domestic tourism had been wrongly overlooked for several decades and insufficiently studied, he said.
This was ironic because, as a group, domestic visitors outspent tourists from overseas, even in ‘‘normal’’ years when many inbound tourists arrived.
Statistics New Zealand figures for the year ending last March showed that annual inbound international tourism spending amounted to $17.2 billion - the equivalent of $47 million each day.
In contrast, annual domestic tourism amounted to $23.7 billion, or $65 million every day.
‘‘It’s time for domestic tourism to step out of the shadows of neglect.’’
Asked if Dunedin could benefit from domestic tourism resuming, Prof Higham was cautious about the challenge, but optimistic about the fact Kiwis were travellers.
Department colleague Julia Albrecht said the attention being given to domestic tourism was long overdue, even without the current crisis.
Places in the South Island could benefit not only from the usual domestic tourism, but also the closure of our borders. Some of the overseas travel undertaken by New Zealanders could be replaced by trips within this country, she said.
Dr Albrecht cautioned that although the Government had taken a responsible approach in its Budget package, ‘‘not every business is going to make it’’.
In the short term, Dunedin faced ‘‘a bit of an uphill battle’’ in its domestic tourism marketing efforts.
However, in the longer term, the city had a unique point of difference as the wildlife capital of New Zealand, including with its yellow-eyed penguin population, she said.
