Targeting drive-by tourism market

A world-class conservation project, now without its international visitor market, is instead making a pitch to Kiwi holidaymakers this summer.

Overseas tourists made up about 20 per cent of overall visitors to Sanctuary Mountain – Maungatautari in the Waikato. But those behind the ecological park believed they could fill that void with domestic visitors, targeting the ‘‘drive-by’’ holiday market.

Sanctuary Mountain presented its 2019-20 annual plan to one of its funders, Waipa¯ District Council.

The report showed, up until

Covid-19’s arrival, the park was tracking well with 11,835 visitors for the year to February, 5 per cent ahead of the same period in

2018-19. Retail guided tours and inbound tour operator guided tours were all up on the previous year.

March was tracking to be another record month until

Covid-19 took its grip on the world.

The annual report said the park recorded 4100 fewer visitors due to the international pandemic, which represented an income loss of about $80,000.

The visitor centre closed on March 21 and reopened on May

20.

Marketing Manager Jessica Meade said at the meeting, Sanctuary Mountain planned to work with Hamilton-Waikato

Tourism to refocus on the domestic market in the year ahead.

‘‘With the lack of international tourism market at the moment, we a really focusing on the domestic market. We know Kiwis tend to want rest and relaxation during the summer and not take up so much of those tourist activities.

‘‘But we are hoping to get into that drive-by market, those who are on their way to their holiday, to stop and see what the maunga has to offer.’’

Waipa¯ Mayor Jim Mylchreest wanted to know if the park still had a ‘‘heavy reliance’’ on government funding, such as councils.

Sanctuary Mountain chief executive Phil Lyons said it still needed financial support from government funders to ‘‘spread the risk’’.

He suggested if the park had relied on tourism income only, it would have struggled with the challenges of Covid-19.