Invercargill Licensing Trust chief executive Chris Ramsay said January was traditionally one of the quieter months as corporate travel tended to slow down at this time of the year.
‘‘Many visitors are here to see family and friends, often opting to stay with them rather than in hotels, though motels have seen steady occupancy.
‘‘So hosting the Tour of Southland now has provided a welcome boost.’’
However, February was shaping up to be particularly strong with the National Chess Championships, Teretonga racing, Waimumu Field Days and the Burt Munro Challenge guests being hosted within the city.
‘‘These larger and/or multi-day events, all of which our funding helped to secure, really highlight the value of attracting visitors to the region and the positive flow-on effects they bring.’’
Coming into March, he expected the pressure to ease slightly without the return of last year’s Bagpipe Nationals.
Great South Tourism and Events general manager Mark Frood said the beginning of the summer season, accommodation bookings were traditionally ‘‘patchy’’ because people headed away.
‘‘Our region, we have quite different flows of who comes through. In parts, it’s heavily domestic and in other parts, it’s heavily international. So we get a bit of everything.’’
But once the main holiday period was over, it starts to pick up, he said. At present there was a ‘‘solid international forecast’’ that he expected Southland would benefit from the visitor flow.
Big events like the Burt Munro Classic and Waimumu Field Days put pressure on accommodation which required people to book well ahead if they wanted to ensure a bed close by.
In the past some Burt Munro accommodation bookings flowed into the surrounding townships.
But the distances were still manageable for those visitors staying in satellite townships.
‘‘We’re a big region, . . .but Gore’s only 45 minutes out of town.’’
The influx of visitors meant a boost to the local economy.
‘‘We’ve got smaller communities, so everybody has a chance to have business. So its benefits spreads.’’
He believed the boost was welcome after the sluggish New Zealand domestic economy over the past couple of years.
‘‘It keeps things going and keeps that economic cycle happening because the domestic market for tourism has been tough.’’
He was pleased the Burt Munro Classic’s targeted marketing campaign was having an affect.
‘‘Every year we get more and more international [visitors] coming.’’
Registrations had also been received from the United Kingdom and the United States.
‘‘So it’s really gaining international recognition.’’
He believed the increase of summer events within the city was having a dynamic impact.
‘‘We’ve got a new CBD, new hotels, we’re even grown recognition and starting to get good flows of tourists through again.’’
‘‘All these things add up to a really vibrant city. ‘‘Which just adds to building the energy and that fun aspect of the CBD.’’
These larger and/or multi-day events, all of which our funding helped to secure, really highlight the value of attracting visitors to the region and the positive flow-on effects they bring
Toni McDonald
