When we see a busload of visitors jump off a bus and straight onto an island boat tour, then from that tour directly to their hotel for the evening, it is hard to see the wider impacts that the visitor industry has on our communities.
The visitor industry has much further-reaching impacts that just the hotel, the tour operator, the airlines, attractions, and rental vehicle companies.
In fact, when we look at tourism expenditure by industry, as of February 2023 only about one third of spending from visitors is on what we would define as core tourism services - accommodation, culture and recreational services, transport and food and beverage. The rest of this spending is done at local supermarkets, petrol stations and retail stores, often owned or run by the local communities which they operate in.
This visitor spend profile illustrates how Taitōkerau Northland’s visitor industry thrives through a regional support network of activity, driven by local people and businesses that don’t necessarily fit the idea of what constitutes “tourism activity”. From the fishermen supplying their catch to Mangōnui Fish Shop in the Far North, the contractors working for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to upgrade roads throughout the region, to the Four Square dairy owner in Kororāreka/Russell, everyone has their part to play in this vastly interconnected ecosystem.