Economic data suggests despite the significant early impacts of Covid-19, the Bay of Plenty's economy is faring better than the country as a whole, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council has announced.
A quarterly Infometrics report commissioned by the council shows as a result of alert levels 4 and 3, Bay of Plenty's GDP was down by 1.6 per cent for the year to June 2020 compared to a national drop of 2.1 per cent.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder said despite the relative resilience of the overall regional economy, due in part to sustained growth in dairy and horticulture, other industries within the rohe [area] have been badly hit.
"Tourism employs just over one in 10 people in our region, so the 11 per cent annual decline in tourist spend is causing significant hardship, particularly in Rotorua and also in Whakatāne, which had already been hard-hit by the Whakaari eruption aftermath.
"We can't forget that any significant business downturn causes job loses that can result in personal and family hardship which flows through to the wellbeing of our communities."