Tourism agency working to promote region in cyclone aftermath

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

It has been two months since Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on Tairāwhiti and many in the tourism and hospitality sectors are still doing it tough as the recovery continues.

In the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, Trust Tairāwhiti, as the region’s economic development agency, supported the sectors with financial assistance in the form of business support grants.

The fund was administered using an independent panel to assess applications, with more than 660 grants made to businesses in Tairāwhiti.

Trust Tairāwhiti general manager of tourism and marketing Matt Cairns says his team has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to promote the region.

That is welcome news for Chris Savage from Dive Tatapouri, who says it is going to take months before their stingray feeding business truly recovers.

The highway closure from Napier was having an ongoing impact on their business, she said.

They were hoping for a good Easter but rain on the Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend meant they had to cancel the stingray feeding tours.

“We are just taking it one day at a time at this stage.”

Chris and husband Dean were thinking of closing the business for the winter months and having a break.

“We had Covid lockdowns and then one bad weather event after the other and it feels like we haven’t been able to take a break from it.”

Constantly reacting to various circumstances had taken its toll and many in the tourism sector were feeling the same way, Chris said.

“We also need to retain our staff. They need to know there will be regular work so that’s another pressure on the business.

“People are nervous to travel here, thinking that if it rains they could be stuck.”

Business had been up and down over the school holiday period, she said.

Dive Tatapouri received a business support grant from the Government which had helped.

Katrina Duncan and Anelia Evans, of Cycle Gisborne, have been unable to operate due to the ongoing road closures and had to cancel their February, March, April and May tours.

The cycle tour business had suffered badly since the cyclone. Cycle tours would usually be pumping at this time of year but they have had to write off the season due to a lack of bookings.

“We had to cancel international tours and our tours involve a lot of other businesses from accommodation providers, to wineries and restaurants, so the impact is widespread,” Ms Duncan said.

Cycle tour operators in Ōpōtiki were also doing it tough, she said.

The accommodation the cyclists would normally stay at was now housing people who had been displaced due to the flooding, so they were looking for alternatives.

‘Significant trade events’ on calendar for tourism agency

Due to ongoing difficulties getting access to some areas, Cycle Gisborne is now offering a number of modified tours.

“Lots of Gisborne people travel out of town and to the South Island to do cycle tours but they should consider seeing their own backyard and we could really use their support.”

The impact of future weather events has Ms Duncan nervous about the viability of the business.

It had been a difficult time with three tough seasons on the back of Covid-19, but she said they were not giving up and would go the extra mile to make sure they continued to offer the best cycle tours they can.

She would also like more support from the regional tourism body to help promote the region and get visitors back.

Hicks Bay Lodge manager Michael McClutchie said businesses on the East Coast were feeling forgotten and she had a message for New Zealand and Trust Tairāwhiti.

“Don’t forget about us. We’re still here.”

The people of the isolated East Coast community were resilient and would keep on “chugging along”, she said.

Occupancy rates are down after a high number of cancellations pre-Chistmas and pre-Easter.

Hicks Bay Lodge had 94 percent occupancy in Easter of last year compared with 28 percent this year.

In mid-April, they had 30 percent occupancy compared with 68 percent at the same time last year.

But Ms McClutchie said things had been bad in terms of visitor numbers since as far back as Christmas when they had “so many cancellations”.

They were grateful for the business support grant but that had only covered damage to the property due to high winds. It didn’t compensate staff for the time they were unable to work.

“We are the busiest hotel on State Highway 35 and this place is usually buzzing.”

People were put off because of the state of the roads. They now had to contend with road works and lots of one-way lanes, Ms McClutchie said.

“You really need a four-wheel drive vehicle. People coming from Tauranga and Auckland often have cars and don’t want them to be damaged.”

Trust Tairāwhiti representative visited the area after the cyclone and held a meeting with local businesses.

“Since then it doesn’t feel like we’ve had much communication from them. The lighthouse is closed, too, so that is a real shame.”

Ms McClutchie said some sort of regional promotional tourism campaign and advertising would be a great idea.

“We need to remind people we are still here and to come and see us.”

Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club Olivia Trafford said they were back to “business as usual”.

The members-only club has a loyal customer base and only had to shut for a short period.

“We’ve got a lot of very efficient staff here and were able to get back up and running pretty quickly.”

The main issue was water although they were able to bring in spring water in a tanker and switch over from the usual town supply.

They received a business support grant of $17,531 which went towards operating costs and a considerable plumbing bill to convert the restaurant to a temporary water supply.

Efforts by Trust Tairawhiti’s tourism and marketing team to boost interest in the region have included attending a travel media event in Sydney, followed by meetings with key Australian contacts.

“The Australian trip was invaluable in formulating relationships with potential partners who have a basic understanding of Tairāwhiti, but not the confidence to book a full itinerary yet,” Matt Cairns said.

This was followed by the Inbound Trade Event in Auckland in March.

The tourism team are getting ready for two more —  the eXplore Trade Show in Auckland this week and TRENZ in Christchurch next month.

“These are two of the most significant travel trade events on New Zealand’s tourism calendar,” Mr Cairns said.

“We will be working alongside some of our local operators to showcase Tairawhiti experiences to international and New Zealand buyers and influential tourism media.”

“We have a lot of plans and have revisited our strategy to see how we might do things differently to help the tourism and hospitality sectors to recover.”

One of the immeditae responses has been to support the hospitality sector by working with the Restaurant Association of New Zealand to provide support services to hospitality businesses that have been heavily impacted.

The tourism team have recently updated the tourism website with a section called ‘There’s still heaps to do in Tairāwhiti’ which highlights many of the popular tourism offerings in the region. They have also added a Q&A-Cyclone Gabrielle, so people considering visiting the region can have their questions answered at a glance.