The survey also found the most popular time to visit was during summer with more than 40 per cent of visitors coming from overseas. The area was also frequented by a large number of Aucklanders.
While "beaches", "lifestyle" and "paradise" were the words most commonly used to describe the region, residents identified several areas which needed to be improved on.
Culture activities, parking, roading and shopping were among the list of areas identified as needing improvement.
Tourism Bay of Plenty head of marketing Kath Low said she was thrilled not only with the number of residents who had their say but also with the quality of responses.
"Residents are clearly passionate about where they live and committed to helping the region thrive," she said.
"The answers we received were well thought out, with an immense amount of detail when it comes to where people go, what they do and, equally importantly, what could be improved upon to help grow our region."
Ms Low said the next step in the campaign was to use the local knowledge gained through the survey responses to make sure residents were aware of everything the Bay had to offer and could share it with visitors.
A full breakdown of the survey results is available at www.noplacelikehome.nz.
