A few years ago, boats “sat in the marina and their owners never came,” said Tobin, who handled 15 superyachts last summer and has five already confirmed for the 2014-15 season. More and more of her time is spent arranging itineraries and visits to top lodges, golf courses and restaurants for the superyacht owners, she said.
The government gave Tourism New Zealand an additional NZ$20 million in the 2013 budget to lure high-net-worth tourists. The target is to double superyacht visits to 70 a year by 2018, while increasing arrivals of large cruising yachts to 750 a year from 625.
“We are known as a beautiful country but there’s not a great deal of awareness of what we can offer,” said Justin Watson, director of trade, public relations and major events at Tourism New Zealand. “We are very much undiscovered.”