Destination Fiordland is the latest casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The regional tourism organisation (RTO), which promotes the spectacular tourist mecca, has operated as a membership organisation in recent years. 

Member businesses funded its marketing activity, while core funding was provided by Southland District Council 

But with the severe financial impacts of Covid-19 and border closures, the structure is no longer viable. 

So from April 1, Southland District Council will contract the Southland Regional Development Agency, Great South, to run Fiordland's RTO.

Great South currently operates Southland's RTO. 

Both RTOs are in for a rebrand. Their new identities are Visit Fiordland and Visit Southland. 

Great South CEO, Graham Budd, says: "While things currently remain very tough in the visitor sector we are committed to making this change resonate positively with our regional tourism businesses as well as industry and travel trade partners domestically and internationally. 

"Our large region offers incredible diversity and complementary experiences but this diversity and long history also demands that we maintain two RTOs to ensure appropriate ongoing focus and representation. 

"This is a time of change and we have embraced this. We have to now start looking ahead to a recovery of international tourism and how to best position ourselves for that”.

“We think Visit Fiordland and Visit Southland are ideal for our newly aligned RTOs with a clear identity and purpose inherent in the naming." 

Budd knows all about running RTOs. He was the boss of Destination Queenstown before moving to Great South in February 2020.

Visit Southland will be based in the Great South Invercargill office and Visit Fiordland will continue to have an office in Te Anau which will also house other Great South team members. 

Some staff will work across both RTOs while others will be more dedicated to one part of the region as required. 

Great South GM Tourism and Events, Bobbi Brown, having overall management responsibility for both.

Neither Brown nor Budd were contactable this afternoon to confirm whether or not there would be any job losses due to the change. 

The change has taken nine months of negotiation. 

Funding for the Southland RTO is provided to Great South from all funding shareholders; SDC, Invercargill City Council, Gore District Council and Environment Southland.

Fiordland sits within the Southland District Council territory and is one of New Zealand’s most recognisable visitor regions encompassing Fiordland National Park, Te Anau, Manapouri, Piopiotahi Milford Sound, Patea Doubtful Sound.

The rest of Southland is covered by three local authority areas and includes Invercargill City, Bluff, Gore and destinations such as The Catlins and Rakiura Stewart Island.