Marlborough District Council will appoint new board members to Destination Marlborough, the region’s visitor promotion and management agency.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said: “I was surprised to learn last Thursday that the chairman and board of Destination Marlborough had collectively resigned due to an employment dispute at the organisation.”

“While this is a disappointing state of affairs, Council will appoint two Council trustees to the board to ensure the organisation can keep running effectively. Those trustees can then seek and appoint additional trustees.”

Tracey Green, an experienced tourism consultant, has been appointed as Interim General Manager and has Council’s full support, as do the organisation’s 16 staff.

The employment dispute is currently with the Employment Relations Authority. It would be inappropriate for the Council to comment on those proceedings.

“Council funds Destination Marlborough and values it highly. Over the years it has done an excellent job promoting Marlborough on the national and international stages, attracting visitors and business events here and managing our i-SITE visitor information offices.”

“Destination Marlborough also helped steer Marlborough through the impacts of the Kaikōura earthquake and Covid-19 pandemic, when our tourism and hospitality businesses suffered considerably.”

“I can reassure Marlborough’s visitor, event and hospitality sectors that Council is actively addressing the situation to ensure Destination Marlborough is set up for future success.”

Last year Marlborough was recognised as the sixth most welcoming region in the world in Booking.com’s 2023 Traveller Review Awards - the only Southern Hemisphere destination to make the list.

Council funding to Destination Marlborough in 2022/203 is $1.148 million. It also receives financial contributions from a variety of other sources including significant sales income through its i-SITE booking business.

Domestic visitor spend in Marlborough was $177 million for the year ended March 2022, up 11% on the previous year.

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