Central Otago has been humming as visitors continue to filter in and out of the region, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic offshore. 

Thankfully, anecdotal evidence suggests the visitors are mostly Kiwis “rediscovering” the country as borders remain closed. 

Whereas many would escape overseas to island escapes, or follow the winter season perhaps, instead they are jumping on bikes and cycling through Central, or sipping on pinot noir. 

Central Otago is currently playing host to over 800 people involved with a couple of bowls tournaments being held in the district. 

These kinds of events bring visitors to the area and it is their experience which helps create a lasting impression. 

They then go on to inform the opinion of those they communicate with. (Continue reading below)

Advertisement 

At Friday’s Alexandra Clyde and Districts Business Group breakfast, local businessman David Ritchie said the region needs to change its mindset somewhat from “tourism” to a “visitor economy”. 

While I was not at the meeting, The Central App’s owner, Vicki McLean was, and many of those in attendance agreed with David’s sentiment. 

Tourism Central Otago (TCO) General Manager Dylan Rushbrook, who also wasn’t at the meeting, had heard what was said and says he “100 percent supports David's thinking”.

“David sits on the TCO Advisory Board and it's a discussion we've collectively been having. 

“You'll see in my recent responses I've stated saying 'visitor' rather than 'tourist' and calling it a 'visitor economy' rather than 'tourism industry'. 

“The same conversation is also happening across the country and at a national level.”

Dylan says, point being, 'tourist' brings up thoughts of someone foreign coming in, whereas 'visitor' brings up thoughts of being a welcoming host and proudly showing off your home.

“In regard to being a region that is renowned for being welcoming to visitors, we've already got the ingredients. 

“Our experiences are small, often tailored to the visitors' needs. 

“The business owner is often the person meeting and greeting the visitors and that adds real authenticity to their experience.   

“We ultimately want Central Otago's visitor economy to be renowned for enriching the lives of both the visitor and the locals. 

“That's the intent of our current strategy, and long term thinking that is going into the destination management work.”