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Rotorua tourism has turned the corner and is now reaping the benefits of major redevelopments, industry leaders say.
Millions of dollars have been spent on redeveloping its iconic tourism attractions and building new facilities and Rotorua Tourism Advisory Board chairman Warren Harford says there are exciting times ahead.
Last week the town enjoyed a haul of six awards at the national Tourism Industry Association Awards.
Rotorua and Queenstown skydiving company NZONE won three accolades, including the supreme award.
Meanwhile, Hell's Gate and Wai Ora Spa won the Innovation Award and the Visitor Attraction category and Wellington-based event organisers Sports Impact, won the Events, Meetings and Incentives category for the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships held in Rotorua last year.
Mr Harford said: "I haven't been so excited about the future of tourism in Rotorua for years.
"It's ready to take off. The Rotorua Airport becoming transtasman is now crucial for this town and that will happen."
Places like Te Puia, Polynesian Spa, Skyline Skyrides, Hell's Gate and Wai Ora Spa and his own business the Agrodome had all spent "millions upon millions" on redevelopments.
That spend, additions like the Energy Events Centre, and this week's awards, showed the city was heading in the right direction.
The number of visitors to Rotorua had been increasing and that trend was expected to continue, he said.
Destination Rotorua Tourism figures show domestic visitor numbers totalled 837,989 for the year ending June 30 2007, up 4.5 per cent on the previous year.
The number of international visitors at 593,254, was up 3.8 per cent on the previous year.
Tourism operators could capitalise on the awards by promoting the winners around New Zealand and overseas, Mr Harford said.
"Those award winners are going to be put up in lights by Tourism New Zealand, Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing and any other organisation that markets Rotorua as a destination so that's got to be good for Rotorua."
- Daily Post
