Dunedin’s successful bid for the World Congress of Herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) has helped put the city on the map as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand, bringing with it a host of academic and economic benefits.

The congress, which will take place in 2020, is expected to showcase the scientific research out of the University of Otago, as well as local ecotourism experiences and iconic wildlife, to an influential international delegation.

The 9th World Congress of Herpetology will be hosted by University of Otago’s Department of Zoology, and Professor Phil Bishop says: “This is a fantastic win, not just for New Zealand, but specifically for Dunedin and the University of Otago. We will have the opportunity to showcase our university and city to hundreds of international biologists, as the wildlife and scientific capital of New Zealand.”

Moreover, the event is expected to attract up to 1,000 delegates to the city, translating to up to 6,000 room nights and bringing an estimated $2.1 million to the local economy.

The benefits will provide a major boost to the city, especially given that Bishop hadn’t previously considered bidding for an international conference. “I had no intention of ever taking on something like this, but our vice-chancellor and Tourism New Zealand hosted a lunch and there seemed to be a lot of support and enthusiasm for bringing large conferences like this to New Zealand,” he says. “I am very proud of New Zealand and Dunedin and thought this would be a good opportunity to showcase what we do to my colleagues.

“I think it's going to be a tremendous boost to the university's reputation internationally, and it’s a good chance for our students and those working on amphibian and reptile research around New Zealand to interact with an international audience.”

Dunedin won the event over competing bids from Kenya, Hungary, Morocco and Australia. Bishop notes: “We might not have as many species of reptiles and amphibians, but what we lack in quantity we make up for in quality. The species we do have are iconic, unique, and very unusual. Scientists like to tick things off their list. Tuatara is an order of reptiles that you cannot see anywhere else in the world and we also have amazing geckos, skinks and native frogs.

“Plus, New Zealand has an international reputation of being beautiful, clean, green and sustainable, and a wonderful place to visit. When I delivered the bid at the 8th World Congress in Hangzhou, China, a lot of people said: ‘Great, New Zealand’s on my bucket list, we’d love to come’.”

Bishop adds: “The support I received from Tourism New Zealand and Enterprise Dunedin, both financially and logistically, took all the hard work out of preparing the bid and together we produced highly professional brochures and an amazing presentation which blew away the competition! Tourism New Zealand printed all the bid documents and even had them posted to the hotel in China. They also helped me put together an event budget, which was important for the selection committee.

“Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme contributed to both my airfare and accommodation in China to present the bid. That support is extremely helpful in today’s economic climate where funds for conference participation are limited.”

Bishop says a tailored approach to the target audience would hopefully deliver international tourists to lesser-travelled destinations such as Stewart Island, Fiordland and Invercargill. “Our bid document really helped with the message ‘it's not as far away as you think’, and we provided lots of information about touring New Zealand, with amazing photos of animals you can see here. The main part of the conference will take place in early January, and we hope a lot of people will decide to come for Christmas and spend their break here. We will run tours in the greater Dunedin area to see reptiles and geckos, but we’ve suggested wider pre and post tours geared to scientists and biologists, not just typical tours, whether that is going to see the yellow-eyed penguins, national parks, Kaikoura, Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch, or the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown.

“Tourism New Zealand has offered further support in assisting with attendance at other conferences to promote the event, to keep it alive and active in everyone's mind that they will be coming to Dunedin in 2020.”

If you would like to find out more about Tourism New Zealand, please visit www.businessevents.newzealand.com