It has drawn criticism from smaller operators who opted not to form joint ventures imposed by the rule that each contract must offer a minimum of 44 passenger seats.
Pat Lally was one of those fearful they had been effectively shut out from taking passengers who booked on the day the ship arrived.
"The i-SITE has taken control," he said.
Gone was the system that operated last year when passengers could approach a driver by his bus, decide whether he was a nice guy, talk about the price and then book a tour through the separate ticketing office outside the port gates. "People should have a right to choose the driver."
Other aggrieved smaller operators claimed that Tourism BOP was focusing on shoring up losses from operating the i-SITE, rather than the quality of the service.
They also complained it was geared to favour larger operators and claimed Tourism BOP was trying to set up a monopoly.
Most declined to talk on the record because of confidentiality provisions from membership of the Tauranga Cruise Operators Association or that they feared repercussions.
Mr Lally said the changes had been complicated by new legislation that essentially put all small passenger transport operators on a level playing field, regardless of whether they drove taxis, Uber cars or tour minibuses.
His understanding of the law was that anyone with small passenger transport licence could operate on the street, so he would be taking his chances next Tuesday when cruise ship passengers had passed through the port gates.
"Nobody quite knows what is going on with parking and selling and the new law. It's all kind of up in the air."
Mr Lally, of Tauranga Scenic Tours, said the independents who were now unable to sell through the i-SITE still wanted to be able to sell.
Ms Dunne refuted the claim it was a monopoly, saying cruise passengers could also buy from the official cruise line providers like Kiwifruit Country Experience or book tours directly with the operators online.
She said there would be no restrictions on vehicles belonging to non-contracted tour operators who had "genuine" pre-booked passengers.
Ms Dunne said smaller operators had been encouraged to participate in the process, with 10 spreading the costs by contracting as two joint ventures.
"At no time has it been about commercial gain for Tourism BOP and at no time has this been intended as a monopoly. Legal opinion has been sought throughout the process."
She said funding from the commercial ratepayers and 15 per cent commission from sales had not been enough to cover costs to keep the seasonal i-SITE open.
The new system was to ensure Tourism BOP contracted high-quality tour operators and optimised visitor experiences at the cruise i-SITE. Last season they had 27 operators selling 65 very similar tours, resulting in confusion for passengers and considerable processing delays, she said.
The new contracts flowed out of 11 consultation meetings with operators and other stakeholders to find out what worked and what was not working.
George Oliver, of the contracted company Royale Cruise Ship Tours, said the system of selling had been pretty messy for quite a few years. The new system would get people through the i-SITE quicker and onto the coaches.
"To be honest, I have been a bit critical of the i-SITE. They needed to bring more professionalism."
He said some smaller operators were retired people, in for the short term to pick up a bit of pocket money.
Reasons for implementing the new booking system for tour operators:
- Visitors needed to be offered best quality tours
- Growing number of online pre-bookings were impacting on i-SITE sales
- Tourism BOP's ability to cover i-SITE's increasing operating costs
- Concerns with parking and traffic flows on Salisbury Ave
- Inadequate operator area for growing number of independent tour operators
- Opened doors to collaboration through smaller operators forming joint ventures
Source: Tourism Bay of Plenty
