Summer tourism boost tipped

Oscar Nathan

Figures show Rotorua is trending below national averages for domestic and international tourist expenditure, with the number of Chinese visitors steadily dropping - but it's not all bad.

A promising summer high season is ahead and growth can be found in the Auckland and Australian markets, which has a lot to do with mountain biking, Destination Rotorua Marketing general manager Oscar Nathan said.

"While we are currently below the average, recent months have seen Rotorua gain growth sharply, leaving the district facing a promising high season," he said. "Increasing Australian expenditure is something we've constantly been chipping away at. The rise in awareness and popularity of our mountain biking opportunities is a good example of an emerging offering that's poised to get people staying longer.

"Rotorua has had a 9 per cent, or $5 million growth [in Australian expenditure], in the most recent year, taking us from $53 million to $58 million," he said.

The Regional Tourism Estimate figures released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows strong growth in spending by international and domestic visitors in New Zealand's key tourist destinations in the year ending March 2014. International visitors spent an estimated $7.2 billion in the regions, up $600 million.

Domestic visitors spent an estimated $10.1 billion, up $320 million from last year.

Getting people to stay longer in Rotorua was crucial to get a bigger slice of the pie, Mr Nathan said.

"Our efforts remain focused on getting visitors to stay longer in Rotorua, two or three nights minimum, and to do more while they are here. While we're fortunate enough to have the unique selling points of Maori culture and geothermal attractions well established, we're also working hard to drive the message about the many other activities and attractions on offer.

"Having international media coverage, like China's biggest reality TV show Dad, Where Are We Going? screened to over 400 million Chinese, is also a great score for Rotorua and will translate into more growth in the months ahead."

Chinese spent $83 million in Rotorua in 2012, $71 million in 2013 and $53 million for the year ending March 2014. They spent $57 million in Queenstown in 2012, $104 million in 2013, and $150 million in the year ending March 2014.

Mr Nathan said council and tourism operators were striving to ensure total visitor receipts hit $1 billion by 2030.