Manawatu set to put tourists on right road

Amid all the talk about routes of national significance and cycleways, Manawatu is developing its own tourist trails.

Three routes for development have been identified by Destination Manawatu. They are set to be called The Country Road: Stormy Point, The Country Road: Peep-O-Day and Pohangina Valley Country Road.

Destination Manawatu chief executive Lance Bickford said the three routes would be a reason for tourists to no longer bypass Manawatu. "The key objective of the whole programme is to give people an alternative route when travelling between Wellington and Taupo."

Destination Manawatu has taken to the road to consult locals in the three areas and spread the message about the positives of tourism.

A meeting in Pohangina on Monday night attracted about 25 people and one in Kimbolton on Wednesday about 20.

"Tourism is broader than people on the bus," Mr Bickford said.

Developing Manawatu as a tourist destination would be about educating locals about the personal touch.

"Whenever we travel we remember the quirky, the unique or the generous experiences.

"Photographic opportunities tend not to be the memories that drive your experience."

Mr Bickford said he was mindful nobody wanted to overwhelm country communities with tourists.

There was a need too for tourism operators to cash in on the internet as much as they could.

"A lot of these smaller communities have big frustrations with broadband."

So far, the three tourism trail brands had been well received, he said.

There will be a final meeting sometime in the next few weeks to sign off on the routes.

The three tourism routes:

The Country Road: Stormy Point:

Feilding to Cheltenham to Vinegar Hill.

The Country Road: Peep-O-Day:

Feilding, Cheltenham, Kimbolton to Rangiwahia and Mangaweka.

Pohangina Valley Country Road:

Feilding to Pohangina, back to Apiti, then Kimbolton and Feilding.

- © Fairfax NZ News