Hamish Saxton: The hum of tourism in Hawke’s Bay - it’s starting to pick up

Lindadian Taylor-Whitt, front, and her friends from Chicago enjoy a cruise stop in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

OPINION:

In yet another rollercoaster year for Hawke’s Bay’s visitor economy, it’s hard to believe how far we have come.

This was a year that began with closed borders, no international visitors, widespread restrictions on the way we lived and operated, and with New Zealanders everywhere bracing for the onset of Omicron.

Mask-wearing was a daily way of life.

Now, while Covid is far from a distant memory, a new normal is emerging as the visitor economy bounces back.

International visitors are returning, and while admittedly not in the quantities they were pre-Covid, economists just last week noted surprise at the speed of New Zealand’s tourism recovery.

In the Economic Overview report for November 2022, Westpac economists said the lifting of border restrictions had resulted in a sharp uptick in visitor arrivals, with growth increasingly driven by visitors on long-haul flights rather than those from Australia or returning New Zealanders.

Notably the report also said that while the return of overseas tourists had long been accounted for in economic forecasts, even they had “been surprised with how fast the rebound has been following the lifting of border restrictions”.

It is a sea change that is reflected here in Hawke’s Bay too.

Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment tells us that the number of unique international visitors to Hawke’s Bay has increased from around 1200 a month at the beginning of 2022 to 8100 in September.

Hawke's Bay Tourism head Hamish Saxton has optimism about the year ahead. Photo / Supplied

And, as we build back our international markets, New Zealanders – a critical demographic for Hawke’s Bay’s visitor economy – continue to travel.

Hawke’s Bay saw a 7 per cent increase in Kiwis visiting the region during the month of October, when compared to the same time last year (according to Visitor and Local Population Estimates from Data Ventures and Tourism New Zealand). What’s more, the most recent Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECT) data demonstrated strong growth in spending by both domestic and international markets.

All this without even taking into account a bumper cruise season, which kicked off in late October bringing thousands of visitors to Napier Port and the wider Hawke’s Bay district.

We have also seen the return of events, with Hawke’s Bay set to play host to an incredible summer lineup of festivals, concerts, international sporting fixtures and more.

It has been a phenomenal turnaround. Summer F.A.W.C!, which was forced to drastically scale back in January when the country moved to red, has recently wrapped a full schedule of events, drawing foodies from across the country to our own backyard, including for the first time to a marae in Wairoa. We also wait with anticipation for next year’s Horse of the Year and Art Deco Festival, both scheduled to make a full return for the first time since pre-Covid.

Business events and conferences are back on the agenda too, with the BEIA (Business Events Industry Aotearoa) conference finally making its way to Hawke’s Bay after three attempts, bringing with it more than 100 delegates and approximately $240,000 for the local economy.

Our tourism infrastructure has also seen investment during this time, with the evolution of Hastings’ Municipal Building and Tribune Precinct, as well as the development of Ngā Ara Tipuna in Central Hawke’s Bay.

All this is not without its challenges though.

Like many industries, tourism and hospitality businesses are struggling to recruit enough staff. Where once many frontline service roles were filled by international travellers on working holiday visas, we now wait (not so) patiently for their return.

Additionally, the potential impact of a new Covid wave, the increased cost of living, and the slow return of visitors from China, could create headwinds to growth.

However, on balance and considering where we started in January 2022, the visitor economy in Food and Wine Country is coming up roses . . . or perhaps that should be Rosé?

* Hamish Saxton is the chief executive of Hawke’s Bay Tourism