Marlborough District Council has appointed four commissioners for a fixed term until 30 June 2024 to provide governance to Destination Marlborough, the region’s visitor promotion and management agency.
They are Deputy Mayor David Croad, Councillor Barbara Faulls, Trevor Hook and Tracy Johnston.
Their primary role is to assist interim general manager Tracey Green in her day-to-day decision making and to liaise with and report back to Council.
Spokesperson David says the Trust was in good shape overall.
“Destination Marlborough has come through a challenging period, particularly with all the difficulties the pandemic brought on to our tourism industry.
“Tracey is doing an excellent job and her team are working hard to deliver a great experience for our visitors.
“Visitation to Marlborough is on the up – we have a bumper cruise ship season underway and new initiatives such as Queen Charlotte Track’s mountain bike summer trial and the construction of the Whale Trail shared pathway from Picton to Kaikōura.
“International and domestic visitor spend is up significantly on last year – I’m confident the future for tourism in Marlborough is very positive.
“Business events are also trending up with many confirmed bookings for 2024.
“We will also take this opportunity to consider what structure long term could best suit Marlborough’s visitor promotion functions.”