Southland District Council to redirect $200k from tourism agency
Thursday, 29 October 2020
Operational funding of $200,000 will no longer go directly to Destination Fiordland to control and will instead go to a third party first.
The Southland District Council provides the operational funding but will now redirect it to the regional development agency, Great South.
It's understood Destination Fiordland members are meeting on Thursday night to discuss the issue.
Southland District Council deputy mayor and Te Anau resident Ebel Kremer said Great South could play a signifiant role in supporting Destination Fiordland.
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When asked if it was confirmed or a proposal, Kremer said it was a process to be worked through.
“There is every possibility that the $200,000 that goes to Destination Fiordland will go to Great South to fund the Regional Tourism Organisation in Fiordland [Destination Fiordland],” Kremer said.
However, council was not walking away from Destination Fiordland, and would continue to encourage tourists to see all of Southland, he said.
He would be attending the meeting tonight to hear what Destination Fiordland members have to say.
Great South general manager tourism and events Bobbi Brown could not confirm if the council’s $200,000 contribution would still go directly to Destination Fiordland, or if it would go into a pool to possibly be distributed elsewhere.
Details of the new arrangement had not been confirmed yet, as it was still in its early stages, Brown said.
It was appropriate for Destination Fiordland members to be the first people spoken to about the change, she said.
Brown was unsure what to expect to hear from members at the meeting, but said things were pretty tough in Fiordland at the moment.
Destination Fiordland has more than 290 member businesses.
The Southland District Council funds its operational costs and marketing costs are funded by membership subscriptions.