General manager of Hawke's Bay Tourism Annie Dundas said anything that allowed people access to the region was a positive.
She said the South Island in particular was a good market for Hawke's Bay.
"With direct air service it makes it just that much easier, we are looking at doing some work in the South Island, marketing work, so this is perfect timing."
Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon says the move to shrink fares is the biggest overhaul of the airline's domestic pricing structure in more than a decade and will see more than 750,000 seats a year available for less than $50.
"We are making travel more affordable than ever for Kiwis so that they can explore more of their own backyard, connect with family and friends and attend the amazing events we have around the nation."
Air New Zealand announced on Monday it was planning to cut prices to prices on more than 40 routes by up to 50 per cent.
As of 1pm on Tuesday, flying from Hawke's Bay to Auckland on March 1 with a seat and bag would cost $116, $152 would get you to Wellington, and if you wanted to fly to Christchurch you would be paying over $200.
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones told the New Zealand Herald he welcomed the cuts, but there was no point having them on middle of the day flights while commuter flights remained expensive.
"There's no point having a very cheap fare at 11.30am or 1.30pm in the middle of the day and the fares continue to be horrendously large when most enterprises and people need to travel."
He said if all flight times were dropped it would boost productivity and enable businesses to flourish.
In the past Jones has been critical about Air New Zealand's decision to cut regional flights.
The new prices are for one-way, entry-level-fares.
