Tourists spent an estimated $1.9 billion in the region over the last year.
The latest Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment today showed that tourism spend for Bay of Plenty was up 7 per cent as of April 2018, compared with the year to April 2017.
MBIE manager of sector trends Mark Gordon said of this tourism spend in the year to April 2018, international visitors spent $592 million, up 8 per cent compared with the year to April 2017, and domestic tourists spent $1.3b, up 6 per cent, in that period.
"When it comes to the monthly expenditure, tourism spend in Bay of Plenty for the month of April 2018 is down 5 per cent compared with the month of April 2017," Gordon said.