A new heritage tourism attraction in Oamaru has the potential to generate up to $2 million a year in revenue and create more than 40 jobs.
The venture, Inside Victorian Oamaru, has been the subject of a feasibility study, carried out for the Waitaki District Council-owned Waitaki Development Board, which has concluded it has the potential to generate significant economic and social returns for Oamaru.
Put forward by Oamaru heritage enthusiast and Living History New Zealand producer Scott Elliffe as a concept that would be owned by the community, it could cost up to $3 million to establish.
It has won support from the development board, Waitaki Chamber of Commerce, Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust and the Waitaki District Council, which made a $15,000 grant in September for the feasibility study.
The aim is to build on Oamaru's heritage reputation and get visitors to stay longer in the town.
Development board chairman Peter Robinson said the feasibility study had given the board the confidence to proceed with developing a more detailed plan for the new heritage attraction in Oamaru's historic precinct.
It would also provide the basis to apply for funding and investment.
The next step was to develop a more detailed project plan over six to nine months.
That would consider the overall concept, including where it would be located and costs, staging the development to fit with available funding, branding and naming to link it with the historic precinct and Oamaru, funding applications, and governance and management options.
A working party would investigate options for funding the next stage of developing the concept.
The project could take up to two years to reach fruition.
Mr Robinson said the feasibility study showed the concept had the potential to generate between $1 million and $1.9 million a year in revenue once it was up and running.
Over a five-year period, the economic impact had been estimated at between $9.5 million and $16.4 million, creating up to 43.7 new jobs in the district.
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony was the town's major tourist attraction, but Mr Robinson said visitor numbers appeared to be "levelling off".
"Relying on a single major attraction is an increasingly risky strategy," he said.
The proposed new attraction had the potential to propel Oamaru, the district and Otago brands to new heights, perhaps in the same way whale watching had done for Kaikoura, wine for Marlborough and bungy jumping for Queenstown.
"The district is in the unique position of being presented with an opportunity to develop a new and compelling reason for people to visit that fits perfectly with the region's brand," Mr Robinson said.
Many other regions would jump at a similar opportunity.
Funding for the new attraction was likely to come from a mix of local, regional and national sources.
Inside Victorian Oamaru - What is it?
A living history of the town created in one of the historic buildings in the historic precinct.
It will showcase Victorian Oamaru and its stories using the latest technology.
Groups will be met at the door by an actor in period costume or a hologram, then tour through three or four separate rooms, each telling a story of the early history of Oamaru.
