Manawatū Destination Management Plan 2032

Manawatū District Council’s is a stakeholder of the Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA), which helps to drive economic growth in our district, through initiatives such as business development and tourism. CEDA have developed the Manawatū Destination Management Plan 2032 (DMP), which aims to attract more people to visit, play and spend in our region.

Over the last three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national visitor economy has dramatically changed. Manawatū hasn’t traditionally been seen as a tourism destination when compared to other more notable places nearby such as Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and Tāupo. The visitors we tend to attract are brought here by big events such as Fieldays, sport and motor racing events, and work conferences. COVID-19 meant that many of these large scale events had to be cancelled or postponed, which impacted on the Manawatū economy.

The cancellation of these events created challenges, but it has also created opportunities that hadn’t been previously identified or available, particularly within the domestic tourism market. There’s been an emphasis in recent month since the Manawatū Version 2.0 campaign was launched to attract more domestic visitors. development of the DMP has been completed to ensure that the Manawatu district can benefit from these opportunities. It identifies areas that we are doing well in, areas that we need to improve in, and provides some strategic objectives that will see tourism grow in a way that is sustainable and responsible.

But it also provides a platform for future proofing Manawatū as a place that people want to live and work in, which will see an increase in economic benefits to the wider region if done correctly.

The full DMP is available to view at the link below: