Destination Wairarapa outlines its objectives

The newly set-up Destination Wairarapa tourist organisation is cutting its teeth on its first round of district council consultations.
Yesterday in Martinborough, interim chairman Steve Blakemore and acting general manager John Bell fronted up to South Wairarapa district councillors, giving a joint presentation outlining the aims of the fledgling organisation that replaced Go Wairarapa.
Mr Blakemore assured councillors the sole focus was on tourism and the hard work of getting Destination Wairarapa "up and running" had already started, even though only an interim board is in place.
He said the general-manager's job is still open, because advertising so far had failed to flush out the person the organisation wants.
He said figures showed that New Zealand's burgeoning tourism industry would grow to become the economy's leading contributor perhaps by 2015, displacing the dairying industry.
Mr Bell said the "financials have been out-sourced to Trust House".
"It's a very good thing for the organisation to have a big-brother corporate structure providing us with excellent support," he said.
Being a membership organisation, Destination Wairarapa is keen to show businesses the benefits of joining, and will offer members preferential treatment.
Mr Bell said more cruise liners are expected to visit Wellington this coming year with day trips to Wairarapa on offer for passengers.
Two important partnerships had already been forged with Classic New Zealand Wine Trails and Positively Wellington tourism.
He said there is "enormous scope" for the development of marae, and Maori tourism.
"I have heard it said that visitors to New Zealand go to Rotorua, get an understanding of Maori culture and then never find it again during their visit.
"We have Maori culture and history just waiting for them here."
On that topic Mr Blakemore said there was far more to be learned on a trip to Cape Palliser than one to Cape Reinga.
"We have Kupe, Maori history even shipwrecks.
"At Cape Reinga there is one pohutakawa tree and a place where two waters meet."
On the initial agenda for Destination Wairarapa was the appointment of a permanent general-manager, a written tourism strategy, an improved website with on-line booking service and the incorporation of its two I-sites into a national system.
Mr Blakemore said Destination Wairarapa is a new organisation with a "clean sheet".
"We are very much living within our means, don't plan to be all things to all people and want to build slowly on our successes."
The two men sidestepped a question put to them by councillor Max Stevens, who asked them what debt Go Wairarapa had left behind when it quit its tourism role.
Mr Bell said the presentation to the council was about the role of Destination Wairarapa and said he would "get back" to the councillor with an answer "before the end of the year".