Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park is empty. Photo / George Novak
Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park is empty. Photo / George Novak
Bustling holiday parks and booked out motels are usually the reality for Tauranga when Easter rolls around.
But as lockdown grips the nation, camping spots and rooms will remain empty this long weekend.
A number of events that normally brought thousands to the city on Easter Weekend all had tobe canned causing a major blow for the city's economy.
Many accommodation providers are warning that the industry will never quite look the same again.
Hospitality New Zealand accommodation sector Bay of Plenty chairman and owner of 850 Cameron Motel Tony Bullot said Easter was normally one of the busiest times of the year for accommodation providers in the city.
Looking forward, he said most accommodation providers would be looking to change their market to a more domestic skew, while others would most likely not open again.
Bullot said he concentrated heavily on the corporate market and was relying on business travel to kick-start again.
Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park is empty. Photo / George Novak
"We are all thinking realistically here, it is not expected to be a switch you turn back on when the lockdown is over... traveller confidence has been knocked."
He said many could expect good domestic deals to start rolling out while people start to get back on their feet.
"We just don't know - this is uncharted territory for all of us."
Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty regional manager Alan Sciascia said compared to previous Easters, there had been a "quantum shift from where we are from where we were".
He said business relied on people being able to move, especially at this time of year, so every single person was being impacted.
Many would know that Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park was one that drew big crowds around this time of year.
However, manager Mark Hales said not having a single booking was a "stark difference" to previous years.
Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park manager Mark Hales had never seen anything like this in his 14 years. Photo / George Novak
They had already been 85 per cent to 90 per cent fully booked for Easter before the lockdown came in and cancellations had come in hot and heavy, he said.
In all his 14 years, Hales said he had "never seen anything like this" but he was thankful they had still had one of their busiest summers.
The park was one of the selected to house trapped international freedom campers so there was still the odd campsite taken, he said.
"We are just doing the best we can given the circumstances."
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said Easter holidays in Tauranga had traditionally been the final tourism boost at the end of a long, busy summer.
"Many accommodation providers used the revenue over summer to pay for costs over the quieter winter months."
He said it was a tough time for everyone in the tourism sector and they will rely on support from local residents and domestic visitors while New Zealand's borders remained closed.
Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park is empty. Photo / George Novak
A Tourism Bay of Plenty spokeswoman said it was a challenge to compare visitor numbers to the region over Easter Weekend. However, she said last April, visitor spend was $92 million in the Coastal Bay of Plenty.
The drop in spending this month and over Easter would be exceptional and she said Tourism Bay of Plenty was working to address the needs of affected businesses in the region.
"The main priority is ensuring that tourism businesses in the Coastal Bay of Plenty make the most of the Government's support package to try and help them get through and support their families."
Easter events in the Bay of Plenty often brought swarms of people to the city.
The Tauranga Jazz Festival was a big-ticket four-day event that saw thousands head to The Strand in the Tauranga CBD over the long weekend.
However, the popular event in its 58th year had to cancel as a result of the alert level 4 rules.
The Tauranga Jazz Society had been issuing refunds to ticket holders and there were no indication of plans to livestream music at this stage.
