Rotorua MP Todd McClay says he's delighted Rotorua is continuing to benefit from tourism growth, but his Labour Party opponent wants to see even more invested in the district's tourism infrastructure.
Mr McClay said a large increase in tourism spending in Rotorua was fantastic news for the region and would continue to support job creation, growth and infrastructure upgrades.
But, Labour Party candidate for Rotorua Ben Sandford said while the figures were encouraging and local tourism providers, event organisers and organisations such as Destination Rotorua continued to do incredible work a lot of work remained to be done.
According to monthly regional tourism estimates released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, $773 million was spent in the district by tourists to the year ending January, a 4 per cent increase on the year before.
In January alone, tourists spent $102 million, up 5 per cent from January 2016.
However, this was behind national figures of a 7 per cent increase in spending for the year ending January - and a 6 per cent increase for January alone.
"This is a real win for Rotorua and it shows just how important tourism is for our local economy," Mr McClay said.
"Events like Crankworx, the mud festival and the Tarawera Ultra Marathon all add to Rotorua's appeal, showcasing us on the world stage.
"I'm very optimistic that 2017 will be another record year for tourism spending if the numbers continue to track this way.
"Those of us who are lucky enough to live here know why Rotorua is such a highly desirable location to visit," Mr McClay said.
