Published: 25 Nov 2016

Timaru District Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Experience Mid Canterbury to be the tourism development body for the district.

The group, which is headed by General Manager Bruce Moffat will lead, coordinate and promote the Timaru District tourism industry, with the aim of increasing its share of regional consumer spending.

Timaru District Mayor, Damon Odey, said that the council is thrilled to be launching this new service for the district's tourism operators at a time when the district is looking to increase its share of domestic and international tourism.

"Timaru is a district with so much to offer tourists from our stunning bays to our country towns, much of it still to be discovered by tourists," he said.

"Bruce and his team bring a wealth of experience and industry contacts to help grow our tourism sector. This new partnership will allow us to promote our range of existing options for visitors, while at the same time encouraging growth of high quality experiences.

"Tourism is already a massive part of the New Zealand economy and it looks set to only grow in coming years. We need to ensure that Timaru shares in this growth."

Bruce Moffat said that Experience Mid Canterbury have built a strong relationship with Timaru District Council and are looking forward to getting to work with local operators.

"We're very passionate about driving new businesses in the Timaru District, but it can't be done alone and we need the tourism community to get behind us to drive the expected growth.

"In the coming weeks we'll be searching for a passionate tourism professional to join the team to help promote the district to the wider market, with a particular focus on domestic, China and the UK and European markets.

"Once we have secured a local tourism coordinator, we will invite all tourism parties to meet and greet and start a discussion on how we can move forward together."

The contract starts on 1 December for a period of five years.

Last updated: 24 Feb 2021