Cruise and general aviation industry representatives have welcomed Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey’s stance on Milford Sound.
The tourism and hospitality minister labels the proposed bans as “contradictory” but says he’s prepared to hear the arguments.
South Port says it saw a record number of cruise ship visits during the six months to 31 December 2023.
The Milford Opportunities Project’s director says current legislation will not allow a toll on SH94 to Milford Sound.
Heritage Expeditions will host Tā Tipene O’Regan, his whanau, and Professor Atholl Anderson for a special voyage in March.
Environment Southland is using emergency works powers under the Resource Management Act to open the Waituna Lagoon and let a toxic algal bloom drain out to sea.
RealNZ has resumed services on its Fiordland Navigator scenic vessel after repairing the damage caused when it ran aground.
Eloise Wallace has been welcomed as Te Unua Museum of Southland’s new museum director.
The Department of Conservation says it will undertake an internal safety investigation after a 10-year-old was swept to her death in Fiordland’s Marian Creek.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission and Maritime New Zealand have launched investigations into RealNZ’s Fiordland Navigator running aground on Wednesday.
RealNZ scenic vessel The Fiordland Navigator issued a mayday alert on Wednesday and evacuated passengers after running aground in Doubtful Sound.
A cycle trail connecting Manapouri to Cascade Creek in Fiordland National Park could bring in $19.8m by 2028 and create 173 jobs, according to an impact assessment.
Visit Fiordland has seen a 34.3% increase in guest nights in October 2023 compared to the same month last year, leading accommodation growth around the country, according to the latest Accommodation Data Programme.
Invercargill City Council has approved the renaming of Invercargill Airport’s terminal after local personality and long-serving former mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt.
Bill Richardson Transport World is opening a new pop-up lolly shop, Toot Sweets, in Invercargill as a sweetener to a new “interactive lolly utopia” launching next year.
Night access to Milford Sound Piopiotahi will be unavailable in November while Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency completes improvements to the Homer Tunnel.
RealNZ has been granted diversion and ordered to pay $100,000 to Environment Southland for upgrading boat moorings at Harrison Cove in Milford Sound without consent.
The upgrade has been slowed by supply chain issues, weather conditions, and arduous terrain.
The Department of Conservation says it is continuing cleanup work on land in Southland and Otago affected by floods last week.
State Highway 94 into Milford Sound Piopiotahi has been closed due to a high avalanche risk associated with torrential rain.
Southern Discoveries has launched a multi-language commentary app for its Queenstown to Milford Sound coach journeys.
There’s also support for a cruise ship ban but less so for removing the aerodrome.
Invercargill’s Transport World is preparing to host an insider’s journey into automotive craftmanship as part of its Back Shed tour, which returns next month.
Milford sound tourism businesses are urging operators around the country to get behind a new effort to show appreciation for healthcare workers.
Remote communities and visitors between Te Anau to Milford can now access ultrafast broadband following the successful completion of a 118km fibre haul project.
Cruise ships contributed $2.1m in marine fees to Environment Southland’s income over the 2022/23 period.
The Department of Conservation is seeking suppliers to identify ways to manage road access to Milford Sound Piopiotahi and to identify a park and ride system for the popular destination.
International visitors made up 35% of bed nights on Fiordland’s Kepler Track after the first day of bookings for the Great Walk, up from 20% last year.
Bookings for the Kepler Track Great Walk have jumped on last year.
Tourism is one of two significant opportunities identified in Great South’s Beyond 2025 Southland Regional Long Term Plan.
Southland’s Beyond 2025 regional long term plan is almost ready for launch.
Milford Sound attractions are proving to be a popular drawcard for travellers looking for their next adventure, according to new insights from Tripadvisor.
A scheme for a cable car up Bowen Falls to provide a “world-class activity” is mooted in the area’s masterplan.
The Milford Opportunities Project will hold a series of engagement sessions with businesses, the community and other stakeholders starting in May 2023.
One of the country’s most experienced tourism professionals will soon depart the Skeggs-owned group.
DOC is seeking feedback on a proposal by Tuatapere Hump Track Charitable Trust for a lease, licence and easement in the Fiordland National Park and Waikoau Forest Conservation Area.
Milford Opportunities Project chair Dr Keith Turner is retiring from the board at the end of the month after more than five years with the initiative.
Southland Museum is saying a temporary goodbye to resident tuatara Henry and his friends as they are rehomed while work gets underway on a major redevelopment project.
Fiordland and Southland are welcoming competitors for GODZONE Adventure Race, slated to begin tomorrow.
The Department of Conservation has closed Te Papanui Conservation Park near Dunedin due to the fire risk in the area, with further warnings in place for Otago, parts of Southland, and Canterbury.
Fiordland businesses are suffering at the hands of the government’s changes to the working holiday visa and skilled migrant categories, says National Party Southland MP Joseph Mooney.
Rotorua and Invercargill will host the next two Tourism Export Council of New Zealand annual conferences.
The French operator’s APAC chair urges the govt to take a practical approach and criticises proposals to cap visits to Fiordland.
More than 430 female deer have been eradicated from conservation areas around Kaikiekie/Bradshaw Sound in western Fiordland.
Business transformation professional Chris Goddard has been appointed to lead the controversial Milford Opportunities Project through its next chapter of growth.
Immigration New Zealand has received more than 103,000 applications involving 209,000 people for the 2021 Resident Visa, and of those, 37,455 have been processed.
Great South’s Summer of Work initiative is returning for 2022 and it is seeking employers to join it.
The closure begins at Hollyford Road and will remain in place all day Monday 18 July.
Invercargill is on track to be a “highly desirable city to visit and settle down in”, according to the group behind a drive to rejuvenate the city and the wider Southland region.
Police have named the man who died last month while on a day tramp near the northern end of the Milford Track.
