Caves business kept afloat

Discover Waitomo and the country’s 31 regional tourism organisations are the first to receive money from the Government’s tourism sector recovery plan.

The $400 million fund is aimed to help the damaged sector recover from the economic fallout of Covid19.

The plan includes a programme to preserve tourist assets considered strategic, which will provide $4m to Discover Waitomo and up to $20.2m for New Zealand’s 31 regional tourism organisations.

“Discover Waitomo is a worldrenowned iconic tourism attraction that generates significant economic, cultural and employment benefits for the region,” Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis said yesterday.

“Without this support, it may not have been possible to preserve this key asset, so it was important to act fast. This investment will help safeguard and enable Discover Waitomo to retain a highly skilled workforce with specific skills and experience.

He said money was being pumped to the regional tourism organisations because they played an important role in supporting the sector.

“The restart, recovery and rebuilding of the sector will depend on capable and well resourced regional organisations to lead and coordinate activities alongside the industry, stakeholders, Ma¯ori and communities.”

The tourism sector recovery plan also includes a public-private taskforce that will continue the work started by Tourism New Zealand to re-imagine the future of tourism, Davis said.

Applications for assets protection close on June 18.