Promoting the Ashburton District to visitors has become a direct Council role, after Christchurch NZ withdrew from a three-year contract to provide visitor promotion for the district.

Christchurch NZ ended the contract earlier this month, saying it needed to focus its post-Covid efforts on Christchurch city, so Ashburton District Councillors decided at their meeting this week to bring the activity in-house as a function of council.

Chief Executive Hamish Riach said visitor promotion and economic development were two fingers on the same glove and with the contract ending early, and with economic development already being performed in-house, it made sense to also perform the visitor promotion work.

“A report by staff recommended bringing visitor promotion inhouse, and Councillors supported that. There was also some robust discussion about raising the level of funding from $195,000 per annum to pre-covid levels of $375,000 a year, and that will now be the subject of a business case that will be part of budget deliberations.”

Tourism and visitor promotion is funded from a combination of 50 per cent general rates and 50 per cent targeted rates on businesses in Ashburton, Methven and Rakaia. Its purpose is to encourage economic growth for the district.

ChristchurchNZ was contracted to do visitor promotion work for the district when the country was reeling from a drop-off in international and domestic tourism as a result of Covid 19. Council cut its visitor promotion budget then from $375,000 to $195,000 per year.

Prior to that, visitor promotion was undertaken by a Council Controlled Organisation, Experience Mid Canterbury. That group has since been wound up.

Mr Riach said bringing visitor promotion inhouse would involve a combination of employing staff and promotional/marketing material and activity.

He said visitors came to the Ashburton district for many reasons, from skiing at Mt Hutt, water-based recreation at Lake Hood, biking and tramping, a myriad of other attractions spread throughout the district, through to attending agricultural conferences.

“Our district has much to offer and sharing our story in a way that attracts both domestic and overseas visitors has economic spinoffs for all our businesses. More people staying and spending in our district benefits everyone.

“We look forward to working with the Mid Canterbury Tourism Advisory Group and all our district’s operators.”

Councillors also decided to review district promotion activities again in three years’ time as part of the 2027-37 Long Term Plan.