Blokart Heaven
The Bay's tourism industry is hoped to become a billion dollar industry in the next 15 years.
Visitors are currently spending $585 million in the coastal Bay of Plenty each year " $1.6 million per day " and Tourism Bay of Plenty aims to nearly double that by 2030.
That would require a growth of 3.5 per cent in visitor spend each year for the next 15 years.
Tauranga is currently ranked sixth in the country for tourism spending " ahead of comparative regions including Hawkes Bay ($553m), Rotorua ($468m), Lake Taupo ($398m) and the Coromandel ($313m).
Tourism accounts for 10 per cent of local employment and makes up 10 per cent of the region's Gross Domestic Product.
The Bay of Plenty offered both sophistication and a laid-back lifestyle, with the ability to go "beach to boutique", Tourism Bay of Plenty head of marketing and communication Kristin Dunne (pictured) said.
The four episodes of TV3's The Bachelor which were filmed in Tauranga proved how much there was to do and showcased the area, she said.
Domestic travellers make up 75 per cent of visitors to the coastal Bay of Plenty, largely from Auckland and the Waikato.
Expanding the tourism industry would require the region to continue to compete domestically and grow new international markets from Australia, Europe and Asia, as well as emerging markets such as South America, India and the United States.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Rhys Arrowsmith said the region needed to work to its strengths and "hold true to what makes the region unique from the rest of New Zealand".
"We have the opportunity to promote our destination to high yield visitors who want authentic, quality experiences in a naturally stunning environment."
Blokart Heaven track supervisor Taylor Stowell said the majority of their business came from the Bay, then wider New Zealand.
Tapping into the international market would give the local tourism industry a real boost and, in their case, showcase a Bay designed and invented activity to the rest of the world.
He believed international tourists were not venturing out to Papamoa when they came to Tauranga.
Mr Stowell thought public transport would be an important focus to increase visitor numbers and spending.
Tourism Bay of Plenty chairman Ian Smith was optimistic that visitor spending could be increased.
"The Board has a clear vision and we have full confidence that with the continued co-ordinated approach between Tourism Bay of Plenty and partner agency's we will achieve strong growth in visitors, their length of stay and spend," he said.
The goal of a billion dollar industry was also backed by local government, with Tauranga City Council confirming an 8.3 per cent increase in funding, for the current financial year.
Mayor Stuart Crosby said there was "no reason that [$1b by 2030] can't be achieved".
Almost $8m in additional event funding in the next 10 years would go hand-in-hand with the tourism goal, he said.
High-level tourism spenders were a focus point, he said, often Americans, Europeans and Australians who travelled in a car or campervan and stayed in an area for some time.
The Chinese market was another growing market for the Bay of Plenty to tap into, he said.
"It's always been a visitor destination in terms of New Zealanders coming here, so the focus now is on the international visitors, outside of the cruise visitors, who are only here for a day."
Cruise ship passengers are estimated to contribute $45m to the local economy every year which is forecast to grow annually as the global cruise ship industry booms.