Enterprise Dunedin’s destination team will be giving those at this year’s Trenz tourism event in Auckland a taste of what is to come in 2028 — a rare total solar eclipse on July 22.
Dunedin and Queenstown are the only two centres in New Zealand where the "massive once-in-a-lifetime event" will be visible, and Dunedin will be the final location on Earth to witness the astronomical event before sunset, making it one of the best viewing locations globally.
Total solar eclipses are extremely rare. The last one occurred in New Zealand in the 1960s, and the next one after the 2028 eclipse will occur in 2431.
Dunedin Destination manager Teresa Fogarty said staff had been steadily working on plans for the eclipse in Dunedin, and believed there was no better time to spread the word about the "huge event" that would attract visitors from across the world, than at the country’s annual premier tourism trade event.
"This year, we’ve again gone with an activation showcasing Dunedin’s food story, its flavours and producers, along with promoting the eclipse event.
"So, highlighting two of the city’s main visitor pillars.
"We’ve already started to see bookings for Dunedin over the eclipse period, which reflects how popular these rare celestial events are.
"We’re planning to make the 2028 eclipse as memorable as possible by activating the city and putting on complementary events."
At the Trenz event, a Dunedin-branded food cart would dish out limited-edition eclipse-themed bites.
It aims to leave an unforgettable impression on the hundreds of international buyers at Trenz, offering a literal taste of Dunedin’s hospitality and culinary flair while also planting a seed of intrigue around the city’s plans for the 2028 eclipse.
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said now more tourists were travelling specifically for events, and eclipses had proven to attract people from around the world.
The 2017 eclipse, in Wyoming, United States, attracted 261,000 tourists, including 29,000 from outside of the country, bringing in more than $NZ108 million of direct visitor spend.
"Needless to say, this will be massive for Dunedin.
"It lets everyone know plans are in motion to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, to put on an amazing time for those who visit our city and then leverage the legacy of this one-off phenomenon into a signature winter event for Dunedin."
