The robbery at gunpoint of a Japanese tourist in Oamaru in March has had a silver lining for tourism in the Waitaki district.
The incident, in which an 18-year-old used a BB gun to rob the tourist of $10 in Itchen St on March 11, could have had a negative effect on Japanese tour companies visiting the town.
But a prompt response by Tourism Waitaki and Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton has resulted in the Japanese tour company with which the tourist was travelling deciding to include Oamaru as an overnight stop on its summer tours.
The tourist was one of about 25 on a GTA Tours bus that stopped in Itchen St in mid-afternoon.
After being robbed, the tourist went into the Oamaru i-Site office, which called the police. The offender was arrested shortly after the incident.
Tourism Waitaki general manager Glenn Ormsby yesterday said Mr Familton promptly wrote to the tour company in Auckland, apologising for the incident, pointing out the town had little serious crime and giving assurances it was a safe place for tourists to visit.
Mr Ormsby said the Auckland tour company passed the letter on to the Japanese company which arranged the tours. That company then decided to make Oamaru an overnight stop for its tours instead of a "toilet stop".
"They wanted tourists to spend more time in Oamaru because of its attractions. It's fantastic news for us because they never stopped overnight before."
