Port of Tauranga is set to host 89 ships at the Port of Tauranga from mid-October to mid-April next year, bringing more than 161,000 passengers and almost 70,000 crew members.
Previous years saw millions injected into the Bay of Plenty economy, including $74 million contributed during the 2019-20 season despite Covid-19.
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said the cruise ship industry provided “significant value” to the Rotorua visitor economy “and has a positive impact for our operators overall”.
He said 35-40% of passengers chose to visit from Tauranga.
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / Andrew Warner
While the number of port visits was down 17.5% from last year’s 108 ships, Wilson said he anticipated the economic benefits would continue and encouraged operators to prepare for another busy season ahead.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said the drop was directly attributed to increased operating costs, concerns about stringent New Zealand hull cleaning requirements, high global competition with other port destinations, safe access concerns in the Red Sea, and the delayed 2022 reopening of the maritime border, which hit forward bookings.
“Tourism is a very agile sector – we’re used to dealing with micro and macro influences which can impact visitor trends,” he said.
Nathan said the return of cruise ships each year was a “real invigorator” for the region.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan. Photo / Supplied
“The way passengers and crew explore when they’re onshore, even though it’s only for a short time, generates essential revenue for a whole range of interconnected visitor sector businesses.“
The Port of Tauranga was a popular stop on many global voyage itineraries, which meant passengers of all nationalities would be regularly disembarking to “explore near and far”, Nathan said.
The first cruise ship scheduled to visit will be Celebrity Edge on October 18 and the largest ship booked was Ovation of the Seas, which would dock on January 2 and carry up to 4180 passengers and 1500 crew members. Ovation of the Seas has remained the largest cruise ship to dock at the Port of Tauranga since its first visit in 2016.
Nathan said the most recent national data on onshore passengers showed that retailers reaped the biggest benefit from onshore cruise visitor spending, followed by food and beverage providers, arts and recreation operators, and travel and tour services.
Nathan said passengers’ consumer habits were varied and where some booked onshore excursions in advance, others were more spontaneous and considered their options once they arrived.
Chief executive of the Rotorua Business Chamber Bryce Heard said the city would be shining “quite a bit brighter this summer”, with the influx of cruise ship visitors, as well as local and international tourists visiting.
Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute sales and marketing general manager Sean Marsh said the cruise market continued to be important for business.
Te Puia and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute sales and marketing general manager Sean Marsh.
“Through and after the Covid-19 pandemic response, we made some deliberate decisions about evolving and enhancing our tourism offering to ensure we are delivering a deeper and more meaningful manuhiri [visitor] experience,” Marsh said.
The season had an important impact, not only on Te Puia but the wider Rotorua economy as well, he said.
Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa general manager Debbie Robertson said the spa treatments Wai Ariki offered aligned “nicely” with the elevated travel interests of the cruise ship demographics - something they aimed to capitalise on.
Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa. Photo / Supplied
“We recognise the great role that cruise ships have to play in bringing people to our beautiful country.”
Robertson said 80% of Wai Ariki visitors were from within New Zealand and 20% from overseas.
The company would work with shuttle companies and boutique operators to make Rotorua “an unmissable stop” for cruise ship visitors.
Ready2Roll Tours and Transfers director Carleen Dahya said her Rotorua-based company frequently drove tourists from Tauranga to Rotorua destinations such as Hell’s Gate, Whitewater rafting, Agrodome and Skyline Rotorua.
Dahya said she was not worried about fewer ships visiting this year because most of her market involved international travellers booking private multi-day tours.
Skydive Tauranga owner Gui Calmelet said the business hoped to attract crew members rather than passengers as they tended to be younger, had cash flow from having “everything included” on the ship and wanted to do “exciting” things.
Skydive Tauranga owner Gui Calmelet.
Calmelet said in recent years, however, there had been an increase in passengers who skydived, especially from the Virgin Voyagers, a brand that targeted a younger crowd.
Calmelet said Mount Maunganui was a sought-after location for sky diving, with the site located a short drive from the dock and the view of the cruise ship on the way down.
Mount Water Bikes owner Gordy Lockhart said it was exciting to look forward to reopening the seasonal business when water temperatures warmed.
Lockhart said his main target audience was young families travelling from over the ditch, as the older passengers tended to prefer terra firma after four days at sea.
Harriet Laughton is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty.
