All eyes turn to . . .
$1b visitor spend target drives seaside town revamp
Bluff is about to become a major focal point of a new tourism strategy that hopes to attract expenditure of $1 billion by 2025.
At a function in Invercargill yesterday, the Southland Murihiku Destination Strategy was unveiled for the first time and Bluff, which is the gateway to the Stewart Island and the Subantarctic Islands, is about to get a tourism revamp.
The projects involved are the Bluff Terminal Tourism Development Hub and the Bluff Southern Marine Discovery Centre.
The development hub would be adjacent to the existing terminal and would act as a venue, which could include an Oyster World visitor experience and monthly seafood markets.
The hub would also have the potential for a theatre offering narrative on the seafood and fishing industry, along with a cafe and retail outlet.
Great South tourism and events general manager Bobbi Brown said the proposed master plan would co-ordinate what the Invercargill City Council and the Bluff Community Board had been working on.
Bluff was strategically an important place because of its location, as well as an ‘‘amazing place’’ to visit, Brown said.
Bluff business owners reacted favourably on hearing the news about the developments planned for the seaside town.
The Anchorage Cafe and Golden Age Tavern owner Hank Low said tourist numbers had been growing in the past year, so a further push with more attractions would only be better for business.
Anything to do with seafaring was popular with visitors, so developing a Bluff Southern Marine Discovery Centre was bound to be a popular attraction, Low said.
Bluff Maritime Museum curator Trish Birch said a lot of small towns die off so it was positive that Bluff was going to be regenerated.
Other high priorities for Southland to take advantage of the tourist dollar were to develop boutique eco-accommodation, the Maruawai Precinct Development in Gore, and continuing work with Destination Fiordland as tourism numbers in Milford Sound continue to soar.
The Maruawai Precinct Development has received $1.6m in funding from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund, including for redevelopment of the Hokonui Moonshine museum and a heritage centre.
Another goal was to increase the number of nights that tourists stay in the south and to attract those who were environmentally conscious but prepared to spend money.
This year Destination Fiordland welcomed about 1.8 million visitors, while about 1.3 million visitors came to Southland.
The overall forecast tourism spend in 2019 for Southland was $458m, while the Destination Fiordland forecast was $249m.
The strategy hopes to reach the $1b tourism combined spend goal by 2024.