Ruapehu needs professional promotion

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 361, 13 November 1990, Page 6

Ruapehu needs professional promotion

The Ruapehu District should have a paid, professional promotions officer, responsible for marketing the area to tourists, to potential residents and to developers. And the council should help fund the position. That was the resolution from a public meeting held at the Ohakune Club last Wednesday night, attended by about 20 Waimarino people including many tourism operators. A large number of apologies were also received. The meeting was called by the Ruapehu South Business Association and was addressed by the chairman of Tourism Taranaki David Walter, who is mayor of the Stratford District Council, and Ruapehu Mayor Garrick Workman. Mayor Walter outlined the four-year history of

Tourism Taranaki and the duties and achievements of the region's promotions officer. The general feeling of the meeting was that it was better to push for one officer for the whole district. This was despite the concerns voiced that a district promotions officer would have a difficult job satisfying the bigger town of Taumarunui as well as the smaller ones like Waiouru, Ohakune and Raetihi. "It may be great to have two promotions officers, with one in each area," said Mrs Allomes, "but I think we need to try for one to start with." "It would be a difficult job, the bigger town could get the lion's share of the benefits," said one person at the meeting. Mayor Garrick Workman, who addressed the

meeting, agreed the district needs a promotions officer, saying such an appointment was "vitally essential'r. "We have millions of dollars spent by individual operators and groups," said RSBA Chairholder Sue Allomes. "Co-ordinated promotion in a professional manner would see not necessarily more money spent but better promotional value for the money spent." Turoa marketing manager Nancy van der Laan said what was most lacking in the district was commitment to promotion. She said the advantage places like Queenstown had over this area was commitment of almost all commercial operators to tourism. "Here, it's always a case of a few people putting in all the effort, and not enough people

committing themselves to helping," said Ms van der Laan. Raetihi benefits One Raetihi representative, Mr Bruce Dobson, said Raetihi had little to offer and little to gain from promotion of the district. "Raetihi is at a crossroads... I'm not quite sure what Raetihi has to offer," he said. RSBA chairholder Sue Allomes said some Raetihi businesses do gain from the spin off from winter tourism and would gain more from such things as heritage trail establishment (ie the Parapara Highway) and promotion and from increased visitors to the Whanganui National Park and the River Road. Mr Dobson agreed, but said Raetihi's problem now is its present economic situation. Mayor Garrick Workman told the meeting

that while the council's Corporate Plan includes the goals of promoting tourism and seeing a promotions officer appointed, this year there had been no money for an officer. He said the Manawatu - Wanganui Regional Council was a much different region to Taranaki, which was much more easily identified as a separate place. Manawatu - Wanganui was far too big and diverse to promote as a tourist destination, he said. He told the meeting that a council subcommittee had been formed to look at the promotions question (see separate story). "It's going to be difficult to convince council that more funding is needed," he said. The meeting heard that while the RSBA, with a smaller business

population, had a paid up membership of 60 (with membership at up to $250) while the Taumarunui District Promotions and Development Incorporation had had difficulty getting two paid up members. But Mayor Workman said it was important to know that in the past Taumarunui businesses were differentially rated which provided extra funding for promotion and that the town had benefited from an Electricorp grant. Taumarunui Development Incorporation received $20,000 this year, the TDPDA received $20,000 with a further $15,000 available, while the RSBA received $10,000, said Mayor Workman. He said this was partly because the two Taumarunui groups had a longer history of

applying for funds than RSBA. He said he was now going to meet with business people in Taumarunui to try to convince them of the value of contributing to promotions activities. "If we get that support it will be easier to convince council of the value of helping fund a promotions officer," he said. A member of the public asked that surely that support had already been shown in the southern area by the success and support of the RSBA. Mrs Allomes said if the council did not help fund an officer, fees for the RSBA would need to be $750-$1000 to provide the money needed. "You can't do this kind of thing on a shoestring budget," said Mrs Allomes.