The government’s $200m Tourism Communities: Support, Recovery and Re-set Plan consists of a number of different components. In August 2021 Great South received $1.7 million for its two Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs), Visit Fiordland and Visit Southland.  This acknowledges the role RTOs play in both supporting the tourism sector and stimulating economic recovery.

The Fund also specifically targets five communities that have been acutely affected by COVID-19.

One of those communities is Southland, with a particular focus on support for tourism businesses in Te Anau and Fiordland. The funding will provide support for those communities and encourage the tourism sector’s transformation in the long-term.