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Dunedin is underperforming when it comes to marketing itself and attracting visitors, despite its "stellar offerings'', a key figure in the city's tourism industry says.
Larnach Castle director Norcombe Barker criticised the way the city is marketed, particularly to domestic tourists, at the Dunedin City Council's annual plan hearing yesterday.
It is not the first time he has taken aim at the council for its handling of tourism.
Last year, Mr Barker criticised the performance of the council's in-house economic development and tourism unit Enterprise Dunedin, calling it an unmitigated disaster.
A subsequent review criticised its performance in the tourism sector, but stopped short of recommending a major overhaul.
In his submission, Mr Barker said the council was still failing to appropriately invest in tourism, particularly in marketing the city as a destination.
The budget for tourism marketing had been largely static and as a result Dunedin was spending a lot less on tourism-specific marketing than other destinations like Queenstown were, he said.
The tourism sector wanted a specific marketing plan which drove people to the city.
Dunedin was already underperforming, despite its stellar offerings, and many visitors choose to visit and leave on the same day, he said.
"I've thought long and hard about this and I would not mind having less tourists who stayed longer and spent more.''
At the minimum, the council needed to increase Enterprise Dunedin's budget so it could properly promote the city and attract more visitors, particularly in the off-season and winter months, he said.
There was eventually going to be a slowdown in the tourism industry nationally and if more money was not put into telling Dunedin's story, the city could lose millions of dollars, he said.
Council chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose told councillors Mr Barker had a point and the city was at lower end of tourism destinations when marketing itself.