Speaking on the Waitaki Development Board annual report, at the Waitaki District Council extraordinary meeting yesterday, Tourism Waitaki general manager Jason Gaskill said although the idea of a five-star hotel in Oamaru had been a topic of discussion for the past 10 years, there had still been no solid moves to see one built.
He said although the town had hosted conferences, Tourism Waitaki, which operates under the Waitaki Development Board, had been told the lack of a five-star hotel prevented Oamaru being considered as a stopover venue.
The chances of the town being successful in becoming a regular on the annual conference circuit without one were ''zero'', he said.
''At this point, now, we are at the ceiling, and unless we can crack through it, we are where we are always going to be.''
However, Mr Gaskill said tourism was in good shape in Oamaru and the wider district.
More tour companies had arrived in the district this year, and the Oamaru Penguin colony, which was now under the management of Tourism Waitaki, was ''pretty much'' sold out every night during last summer.
He said the majority of tourism in the district was generated by domestic travellers, and although China and the rest of Asia were ''important'' markets, they were not as important as Christchurch for the generation of revenue in the local economy.
