Oscar Nathan appointed to top tourism role

Destination Rotorua Marketing's new general manager will be a familiar face to many in the city.

Oscar Nathan will take up the role in early January, coming full circle with the Rotorua District Council which employed him at age 25 for its destination marketing department when it was known as Tourism Rotorua.

He will join his wife Renee Nathan at Destination Rotorua Marketing. She was appointed business marketing manager in November to promote the city as a great place to live, work and invest.

Mr Nathan said it was a privilege to work with the industry, community and the Rotorua Tourism Committee at such a crucial and exciting time for Rotorua.

"I'm now 39 and have been extremely fortunate to get out into the private sector, learn from and work with a great array of people and organisations from New Zealand and abroad.

"That allows me to bring a range of new skills, experience and perspectives that I'm extremely excited about applying in this newly revised role," he said.

"As a team our responsibility is to not only entice visitors to stay longer, explore and spend more but we also need to connect with those that seek a longer term engagement investing and doing business here in Rotorua."

Mr Nathan has been a business adviser with the Poutama Trust and is currently deputy chairman of the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association, a board member of Te Puia and New Zealand Hospitality Standards Institute, a council member of Waiariki Institute of Technology and chairman of Maori in Tourism Rotorua. He was on the council's tourism committee before resigning earlier this year, along with Rotorua hotel manager Marcus Keenan.

Council economic and regulatory services group manager Mark Rawson said Mr Nathan was highly regarded in tourism and had a big challenge ahead rebuilding Rotorua's leadership position and regaining local industry confidence in Destination Rotorua Marketing.

"It's time for the council and industry to move forward with renewed confidence and concentrate on the task at hand, which includes a focus on the Auckland domestic market and international markets of Australia and China," Mr Rawson said.

Mr Nathan would retain some positions, which complemented Destination Rotorua Marketing and his new role, but would step down from others such as his chairmanship of Maori in Tourism Rotorua and directorship of Te Puia.