Pulling in punters without PR input

By Selwyn Parker

Between the lines

You don't need a global advertising agency to bring in the tourists.

In fact, you don't need any advertising agency.

Just ask Rotorua, which has dramatically boosted its visitor numbers right through the downturn in Asian tourists by virtue of a cooperative effort between Tourism Rotorua, the council, and the local industry.

To be sure, the visitors are now overwhelmingly New Zealanders - about 66 per cent - instead of merely mainly New Zealanders - about 55 per cent - as was the situation five years ago. But we're still good spenders and, of course, domestic travellers make up a more reliable market, not being influenced by fluctuations in foreign exchange.

But first, some impressive figures. Three years ago, the number of nights spent in commercial accommodation in Rotorua by New Zealanders was just over 600,000. But for the year ended March 1999, domestic visitor nights had rocketed to nearly 930,000, a jump of 54.4 per cent.

Room nights in May 1998 shot up by nearly 21,500 - an increase of 45.6 per cent compared with May 1997. Even in the depths of winter, more visitors kept on coming. Room nights in June 1998 increased by nearly 17,000 - up 42.3 per cent compared with June 1997.

The tourists didn't arrive by accident. A few years ago, Rotorua was a well-worn destination with a lot of tourism infrastructure in urgent need of capital investment. Even mayor Grahame Hall acknowledges the city's deteriorating attractiveness at that time - "a dull, tired tourist town".

The rebirth of Rotorua as a destination began in early 1996 with a strategic plan. The council committed itself to spending $35 million on look-good projects such as toilets, improved parking, paving, street-lighting, awnings and cobblestoning, which it has done. The council also encouraged the establishment of "The Streat" at the lake end of town which has become home to a dozen trendy cafes, brasseries and restaurants like Herbs and Freos.

The local tourism industry took a hard look at itself and started spending money too. As Tourism Rotorua's chief executive, Oscar Nathan, puts it: "They had to take care of their back yard before opening it up again." Today "motel alley" - Fenton Street - looks much more spruce than it did. In the middle of this burst of refurbishment, two new four-star hotels opened up - the flash 199-room Royal Lakeside Novotel and the 130-room Rydges.

A marketing publication, It's On in Rotorua, went out all over New Zealand. "That has been particularly effective," reports Bruce Thomasen, Tourism Rotorua's domestic and event marketing manager.

All this has been done with Rotorua's own money and it has been done without a PR company. When overseas visitors return in previous numbers, the city will be ready.