Tourism industry leaders celebrate the announcement of Tourism Bay of Plenty's new plans, from left Ian Collier, Kristin Dunne, Des Hammond , Chris Roberts, Tania Bui and Shane Vuletich.
A new vision for Tourism Bay of Plenty could end up costing Western Bay ratepayers an additional $1.9 million a year.
Together with the new logo of ''It's in our nature'', the proposed initiative adds a new layer of responsibility to the organisation's current role as a tourist promotion agency.
The vision was outlined to the Tauranga City Council yesterday by Tourism Bay of Plenty executives backed by tourism consultant Shane Vuletich, Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts and Air New Zealand regional affairs manager Ian Collier.
If the 10-year plan succeeded, visitor spending in coastal Bay of Plenty would grow from $901 million last year to $1.45 billion by 2028.
Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Kristin Dunne said reaching this goal needed increased investment to reduce the barriers to growth, build a competitive advantage and create a "unique and compelling visitor proposition".
She said the visitor sector had lacked the leadership, long-term planning, investment and infrastructure to become a driver of social prosperity.
The proposed new rates contribution would kick off with a $880,000 increase next year, growing to a $1.9m increase by 2028. Most of the money would come from Tauranga where commercial ratepayers funded Tourism Bay of Plenty. The current budget is $1.25m.
It was revealed that commercial accommodation made up only 7 per cent of visitor spending, with retail and food and beverage accounting for 71 per cent. Transport and "other" made up the remaining 22 per cent of visitor spend.
The strategy aimed to reduce coastal Bay of Plenty's reliance on Kiwi visitors, with the 80/20 mix of domestic and international visitors unchanged for 10 years. "Our market share of international visitors remains below national average.".
The new goal was to increase the international proportion of visitors by 10 per cent, so the mix was 70/30 by 2028. Achieving a growth rate of 4 per cent a year in the total visitor economy would create 4000 new jobs, Ms Dunne said.
Mr Vuletich said tourism should be used to grow social and economic prosperity. If it was a great place to live, then it was likely to be a great place to visit. "It is the way a place looks and feels, and not a one-hit thing like Hobbiton . . . we must build a great city that serves the needs of residents and tourist alike."
He said visitors liked authenticity and did not buy into plastic. Achieving authenticity demanded a total vision for the region and to make sure that tourism was not being thought about in isolation.
Ms Dunne said a rich social fabric was now a critical success factor for any destination. ''This has resulted in a shift away from destinations built solely around icons and towards those in which visitors can immerse themselves in the local culture and see and do things that are not available elsewhere."
Part of the strategy, which goes out for consultation, was to increase the number of visitors outside of the peak summer season.
Mr Roberts said the strategy was one of the best he had seen for a long time. While people came to New Zealand for its natural attractions, when they went home they talked about the people they had met.
The Facts Coastal Bay of Plenty Visitor Economy 2016 Visitor spending: $901 million Employee earnings: $290 million People employed: 7980 Percentage of total employment: 7.3 per cent.
The four pillars of the visitor economy strategy - Target the right visitors at the right time - Connect with local residents - Enhance the visitor experience - Grow capability