The Waitaki district is now firmly on the tourism map. Oamaru reporter Andrew Ashton asks Tourism Waitaki marketing manager Megan Howell why her staff no longer get asked ''Waitaki? Where's that?''
Visitor numbers at Waitaki tourist attractions are higher than they were at the same time last year, and Tourism Waitaki marketing manager Megan Howell says the increasing number of tourists in the district is due to a unified and consistent promotional push.
Over the first two months of this year, the district had featured in several high-profile media outlets that would bring ''huge'' publicity for the region, she said.
''The first one for us was that Alps 2 Ocean [A2O] was featured in Journeys magazine, circulation of 200,000 in Tasmania, and that's from hosting a journalist here at the end of last year.
''Directly from that, I have had an email from someone who saw that article and wants to come and do the cycle trail, and I'm sure he is just one of many that will come directly from that.''
Tourism Waitaki had also worked closely with a local blogger for an online promotional video for a well-known New Zealand camper van rental company.
''That's great, more publicity for us, especially as there is a direct flight from Perth to Christchurch. That's a great link to encourage visitors to come.''
A presenter from a United States cooking show was also hosted in the district, which would result in two television slots to be broadcast in the US later in the year on the Choice TV and USA television channels.
''That's more great exposure for us. There will be a cooking part and a hunting part.''
She added that the latest contact had been from television chef Nadia Lim, from the Sky Food Channel, for a programme that would feature two Oamaru businesses, Scotts Brewery and Brydone Growers.
She said no money was paid to foreign journalists ''at all'', but complimentary accommodation was provided, because some providers featured in the article.
''A lot of the media and television come to us, and we will be that middle person, putting people in contact with other people.''
Tourism Waitaki had also attended two Australian travel shows with Tourism New Zealand, in Perth and Adelaide, during a week-long trip across the Tasman. Ms Howell said the stand at the Perth show was awarded the prize for Best Stand.
Although the cost of travel could not be revealed, it was split between other South Island-based regional tourism organisations.
''We partnered with our neighbours with Tourism Dunedin, with Venture Southland and with Clutha, so we had financial contributions from them to attend.
''It's something whenever we do anything offshore, we always get financial support from those international marketing partners and we also give them financial support when they go offshore.''
Ms Howell said Perth and Adelaide were good destinations for promoting the Waitaki.
''In Adelaide there was perhaps and older demographic that had that disposable income and had plenty of time to travel, while I felt in Perth there were younger people, young families that were wanting to come and travel around, perhaps in a campervan.
''I found that a lot in Perth, the amount of time people were going to spend in the South Island, so it was really easy to talk about an itinerary that included our district.
''The feedback that we're getting is that people are exceptionally interested in perhaps getting off the beaten track a little bit and they can do that when they come to our area.
''There has been a high interest in cycling, and so it has been easy to talk about the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, and then all the activities and accommodation providers that are along the trail and around the trail.
''I found at the consumers shows that I did in Australia there was a lot of family travel, so family-based activities were something I was talking about quite a bit.''
Tourism Waitaki would now prepare a ''very strong, positive presence'' at the annual Trenz conference in Auckland, which would feature both the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and the A2O cycle trail.
