Whanganui & Partners plans to boost local tourism with i-Site revamp

A Government programme to boost regional tourism could help with the cost of refurbishing the Whanganui i-Site. Photo / Bevan Conley

The Whanganui i-Site could be in line for a revamp if a funding proposal by Whanganui & Partners goes ahead.

Acting Whanganui & Partners chief executive Jonathan Sykes said there was an opportunity for the agency to apply for Government funding to meet half the cost of renovating the centre which is often the first point of contact for visitors to the city.

Sykes said the national Visitor Information Network (VIN) had been working on new strategies for around two years.

"There is now a strategy that has emerged for two tiers of funding," he said.

"We've been keeping a close eye on that and our recommendation is that we apply for tier 1 funding."

Sykes said the indications from Tourism NZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) indicated that "serious players" would apply for the top-tier funding.

The funding would require an increased annual membership fee of around $5000 to $10,000 and a compulsory refit of the i-Site for which the Government would pay half.

The expected cost would be $125,000 to $150,000 and Sykes said the Whanganui i-Site annual budget already had $40,000 to contribute.

"There is a lot of detail still to be worked out but the i-Site could do with a refresh and it is an opportunity to strengthen Whanganui's overall impression for visitors," he said.

"Once we have worked out those details and if [Whanganui District] council approves the application, the work would start around July 2022."

Sykes said Whanganui & Partners had recently received a boost for tourism promotion and projects with a grant of $700,000 from MBIE as part of the ministry's tourism assets protection programme.

"It is the same amount we received last year and it will be used for tourism advertising as well as for some key projects," he said.

"We want to be transparent about how the fund is being used and there will be regular updates on our website as to where it is being spent."

The Whanganui i-Site has recorded a monthly average of 1830 visitors during the past year.

There was an annual decrease of 7000 visitors when compared to last year's total which included international visitors prior to the March 2020 border closures.