The Central Otago destination management plan sets out a 50-year vision for the future of tourism in the region.
It was commissioned by Central Otago District Council, with insight and guidance from Ngai Tahu, and funded through the strategic tourism asset protection programme — part of the Government’s Covid-19 recovery plans in which 31 region-al tourism organisations received funding to develop plans for their areas.
It sets out 10 tourism strategies, including sustainable future tourism funding, environmental stewardship, talent attraction, cross-sector collaboration and product development.
It was released to the public in August this year.
Tourism Central Otago general manager Dylan Rushbrook said it was about looking at the community’s aspirations and creating a legacy for future generations.
Local government tended to plan in three year blocks, occasionally stretching out to 10 years for a long-term plan but working with mana whenua brought an intergenerational perspective.
"It really changed the process, thinking about legacy and long term and what do our community want for this place," Mr Rushbrook said.
"It’s about identifying what people want and how tourism can be the vehicle to get there."
Tourism Central Otago has been holding community drop-in sessions this week to help people understand the plan.
"We’ve also been aware for a lot of these outcomes [in the plan], there’s individuals and groups who are already doing these things.
"One of the key things of this is: it’s not about reinventing the wheel. If someone is already doing something, we want to lift up those that are already doing it," Mr Rushbrook said.
"The easy part was making the plan, now the hard works begins — now we’ve got to deliver it."
