Travel publisher digs deep

NICOLE GOURLEY 624207071

PIE CHART: Jasons travel guide chief executive Matthew Mayne presents the company's push to uncover the secrets of Southland to hospitality representatives at the White Heron in Invercargill.

Where can you buy the best pie in Southland?

That's just one question travel publisher Jasons wants to answer in a new campaign to dig deeper into tourism destinations.

Jasons' chief executive Matthew Mayne and a team of company representatives revealed their drive to Southland hospitality providers at the White Heron in Invercargill yesterday.

Mr Mayne said it was important to not only market the mainstream attractions of the south but also uncover the next tier of what the region had to offer.

To do so he needed the help of people who lived here, he said.

"It would be wrong to assume we know better than Southlanders."

That was a point no more evident when a slide in Mr Mayne's presentation listed the Waitaki River as one of the best fishing spots in Southland, a transgression quickly pointed out by audience members. "See, Aucklanders should not be writing this stuff."

But to get a Southland perspective on Southland attractions, a yet-to-be established frontperson would be needed who would not necessarily be a high-profile individual, he said.

It would be someone who knew the region and its secrets, be it a bar owner, retailer or whatever. "The stuff about Southland people would never get to see otherwise."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Andy Langford   #1   11:04 am Feb 03 2010

The Old Post Cafe in Gore is undoubtedly the Best anywhere

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