Alexandra and Cromwell no longer have staffed information centres.
Last month, the Alexandra Information Centre and Forage Information Centre, in Cromwell, formally advised Tourism Central Otago they would no longer provide a staffed visitor information service.
Both would continue to display brochures and maps as a self-service model but would no longer be working as agents for InterCity buses.
The privately run centres had been providing services since 2020, when memorandums of understanding were put in place with the Central Otago i-Sites.
The Central Otago i-Sites are part of the national i-Site New Zealand network, and operate the centres in Ranfurly and Roxburgh in accordance with the VIN Inc membership standards and constitution.
The memorandums of understanding were put in place after centres in Alexandra and Cromwell were axed, taking with them seven jobs.
At the time, Central Otago District Mayor Tim Cadogan said the i-Sites were costing more to run than the revenue they generated and the council needed to take that seriously.
As part of the agreements, Central Otago i-Sites provided collateral and staff assistance with setup and operational knowledge to ensure a cohesive information network across the district.
These were renewed on an annual basis until November 2023.
Speaking at a meeting of the Central Otago District Council last week, Tourism Central Otago head of destination Anthony Longman said the decision was a blow.
"This does impact on our visitors and our community, especially in relation to bus tickets which has been the primary space we’ve had feedback on to this point."
The sites were both locations where other businesses could get stocks of brochures as well as other information, he said.
Cr Lynley Claridge asked if there were plans to encourage i-Sites or visitor information services back to Alexandra and Cromwell.
Group manager, community manager Dylan Rushbrook said he was "absolutely keen and hopeful that someone else will want to pick the service up".
However, it was not something the council should get involved in, he said.
"The decision is already made and it’s a decision we support. It’s not something we should get involved in but will help if someone else does want to deliver the service."
