More than 300 businesses have applied for government funding targeted to protect strategic tourism assets.
Whale Watch Kaikōura has already received $1.5m from the government to help it recover from Covid-19 disruption. Photo: RNZ
It is part of the government's $400 million tourism recovery package.
Applications for the Strategic Tourism Assets Protection Programme closed on Thursday.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) tourism programme director, Danielle McKenzie, said work was underway to check they are eligible.
"The programme is designed to protect assets in the tourism sector that are nationally or regionally vital to New Zealand's tourism offerings, are culturally and historically important, and have significant spill-over benefits to the region where it is located," she said.
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Applicants need to be tourism assets, have strategic national or regional significance and be able to show they have exhausted all other support options.
The Tourism Minister's Recovery Group would decide on the appropriate support and amount based on advice from MBIE, McKenzie said.
The group was set up to oversee the industry's recovery.