Rotorua is receiving recognition for playing its part in attracting cruise liners to the Bay of Plenty in what is expected to be the most lucrative season.
Mount Mainstreet manager Peter Melgren said Mount Maunganui was lucky to have cruise ships coming to the area and lucky the industry was continuing to grow. "Cruise ships in summer are pretty damn good for the Mount. They are absolutely lovely to have, and we need to be really good hosts and we need to attract passengers back." Mr Melgren said he would like to see more attractions to keep people in Tauranga but said it was important to remember that, were it not for Rotorua, "we never would have got [cruise ships] in the first place".
This summer's cruise season is expected to bring a record $40.5 million to the Bay of Plenty.
Cruise New Zealand expects 160,100 people to visit the Bay during 2015-16. The economic benefit for the area is expected to increase from $38.1 million in the 2014-15 season to $40.5 million during the upcoming season.
Royal Caribbean expected to have contributed $5,460,000 of tourism dollars to the regional economy last season, with its ships making 15 stops in Tauranga, bringing an estimated 42,000 passengers. This summer, Royal Caribbean is introducing two new ships, megaliner Explorer of the Seas and superliner Legend of the Seas, which will increase its total capacity by 49 per cent. But the 2016-17 is expected to be bigger, with the visits of $1.25 billion superliner Ovation of the Seas. It will be the biggest to visit New Zealand and will carry almost 5000 passengers and 2000 crew.
