Clutha's economic and tourist watchdog wants to hear from an existing regional tourist organisation (RTO) about its work and role before it commits to forming its own official tourism body.
The Clutha District Council district development board has been considering forming its own RTO but has decided it should hear from one which has been working for some time, to see what is involved, the associated costs and whether a Clutha organisation would benefit the district.
District development manager Julie Pearse told the board RTOs played a leading role in the New Zealand tourism sector, acting as "a bridge" between tourism operators, national tourism bodies and local and central government, and promoting their regions to potential domestic and international visitors.
Some were part of councils. Becoming an RTO had infrastructure and cost issues but these were unclear.
Clutha has never been an RTO, with its tourism infrastructure including a half-time tourism development officer, a Balclutha i-Site and information centres at Tapanui, Lawrence, Milton and Owaka.
"The lack of RTO status does impact on the Clutha district and its ability to respond to tourism information and trends . . .
"The district lacks direct and timely information regarding conferences, events, training, announcements and opportunities relating to the tourism sector."
This could be frustrating.
Mrs Pearse said Clutha had always been considered too small to be an RTO in its own right but this might change because of the present global financial crisis and the developing awareness of fuel miles.
