Strategic Tourism Assets Protection Programme (STAPP)

As part of the Government’s Strategic Tourism Assets Protection Programme (STAPP), up to $20.2 million was allocated to 31 Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) across New Zealand, including Destination Coromandel, to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on Local Government revenue and the potential flow-on effect as primary funders.

RTOs play an important role in supporting the tourism system. The tourism sector depends on capable, secure and adequately resourced RTOs. They lead and coordinate activities alongside the tourism industry, stakeholders, Māori/iwi and communities.

The scope of this STAPP allocation has been developed in partnership with Tourism New Zealand and Regional Tourism New Zealand. STAPP funding support is available for a programme of activity across three categories and appropriately scaled to the RTO’s needs, priorities and agreed investment plan;

Destination Management & Planning
Industry Capacity Building and Product Development
Domestic Marketing

The investment plan for the 2020/2021/2022 years includes projects in three categories to be delivered by the Destination Coromandel team and partners:

1. Destination Management and Planning

Destination Management Plan
Ambassador Programme (RTO collaboration - merits of tourism for the region)
Kaimoana Coast (provenance of place - ocean to plate)
Marketview (subscription to visitor spend data)
Trip Tech (RTO collaboration - subscription to motorhome and rental car data)
Tourism insights (RTO collaboration – visitor data aggregation)

2. Industry Capacity Building and Product Development

Gold Heritage (assessment of product potential along the Hauraki Rail Trail)
Pūkorokoro Shorebird Centre (hero product case study: tourism/education/conservation)
Whangamatā Ridges Mountain Bike Park (progression plan to park of national calibre)
Te Ara ā Toi (RTO collaboration – Māori tourism businesses in The Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti Gisborne)
Regenerative Tourism Programme (RTO collaboraton – tourism by design)
Sustainability Programme (advancing business performance)

3. Domestic Marketing