Men egged on by Rotorua smells

ls Rotorua New Zealand's newest answer to sexual dysfunction?

The city's rotten egg smell could actually prove a drawcard for tourists as a study has found the gas which causes the smell can have major benefits for men's sexual performance.

The study by scientists at the University of Naples in Italy found a link between hydrogen sulphide and male sexual arousal.

Rotorua men and local fertility experts were surprised by the findings but the city's deputy mayor Trevor Maxwell said it could be a new selling point to local and international tourists.

"This could be used to promote Rotorua in the same way oysters has done it for Invercargill," he told Rotorua's Daily Post.

"Already we have hundreds of people coming to Rotorua each year to get married.

"We should turn this into a positive and promote it as just another reason for honeymooning couples to visit our wonderful city."

Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing general manager Don Gunn said the research could be a great marketing tool.

"How you'd build a campaign around it, I'm not sure but if it was done in a tasteful way I think anything that gives us a quirky marketing edge would be fun."

- NZPA