Biggest Hawke’s Bay tourism weekend in recent history: HB gears up for summer after Mission concerts

After record visitor numbers over the weekend for two Robbie Williams concerts, Hawke's Bay Tourism is touting the region as the ultimate summer hotspot. Photo / Paul Taylor

A double-date with Robbie Williams has helped Hawke’s Bay set a new tourism record.

Hawke’s Bay Tourism said it was now confident the region would be a hotspot this summer, citing the success of two 25,000-strong concerts at Mission Estate in Napier over the weekend as proof it can deliver.

At the weekend’s peak, 36,909 domestic visitors and 3222 international visitors were recorded in Hawke’s Bay at midday Sunday, according to Tourism New Zealand’s Visitor and Local Population Estimates.

It’s the highest number of total visitors recorded in Hawke’s Bay on a single day since these records began in January 2020.

That figure is a boon for many businesses, many of which were financially crippled as a result of the pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle.

In order to continue to attract visitors this summer, Hawke’s Bay Tourism said it would be pushing its biggest-ever multimedia marketing campaign, made possible thanks to recently secured funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Hawke’s Bay: Tastes like Summer aims to promote the region as “back on the map” as a must-visit summer location, Hawke’s Bay Tourism CEO Hamish Saxton said.

It will highlight events, experiences and notable places to visit through a combination of out-of-home, print, weather-based, radio and other media.

“As New Zealand’s Food and Wine Country, the ‘tastes’ of summer can be found every day throughout Hawke’s Bay,” the promotion states.

“From vineyard concerts and festivals to crayfish on the barbecue, real fruit icecream, long hot days, and ocean breezes. We look forward to welcoming visitors to sample our delicious region.”

The campaign will also include a social media layer, allowing local operators to get on board and participate, as well as a public relations campaign designed to amplify the message.

Both social media and public relations will be added to the campaign matrix in the coming weeks, the organisation said.

An extensive events line-up will dominate summer in Hawke’s Bay, with no shortage of live entertainment in store.

Notable events will include Nest Fest, the Art Deco Festival, Horse of the Year and the recently announced Harvest Moon Festival featuring Tom Jones at McLean Park.

Hawke’s Bay is also anticipating its biggest cruise season ever with more than 130,000 cruise visitors expected to call at Napier Port between November 2023 and April 2024.

The boutique National Geographic Orion arrived earlier this week, the first of 92 cruises booked. There are two days over summer with three cruises in port at the same time.

The final ship currently booked to visit Hawke’s Bay is the Carnival Splendor, carrying up to 3012 passengers, on April 5, 2024.