From the scenic Catlins to historic Lawrence, Clutha has been missing from New Zealand tourism information until now.
Clutha Development Trust destination marketing manager Joanna Lowrey said the newly formed regional tourism organisation, Destination Clutha, had created a presence now recognised by Tourism New Zealand, which markets New Zealand internationally.
In February, the district ''went live'' on its website and before the summer season begins, Clutha will have its first visitor's guide and a website promoting tourism in the district.
These were major steps for the district as a whole and good news for Clutha tourism operators, Mrs Lowrey said.
The international uptake had already improved markedly, she said.
Statistics New Zealand's latest Commercial Accommodation Monitor shows domestic guest nights for July rose 1.9% to 2642 from July 2013, and international guest nights for the same period rose 24% to 593.
Mrs Lowrey said the new visitor's guides at i-Sites should begin raising the awareness of New Zealanders of the area as a destination.
In the past, Clutha would have had to pay to put a brochure in an i-Site, anywhere from $200 to $500 a year per i-Site, but for a regional tourism organisation that fee was waived, she said.
The new website will be launched in November and 40,000 brochures will be printed to put Clutha into visitor information kiosks from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
