Tourism operators in Hawke’s Bay are feeling optimistic as their busy season arrives, saying they are seeing numbers akin to those pre-Cyclone Gabrielle.
Several businesses say they have noticed large numbers of international visitors are arriving in the region by car or plane and the businesses are not just busy on days when cruise ships are docked in Napier.
General manager of Napier’s Art Deco Trust, Jeremy Smith, said the cruise season was bringing in big numbers for their Art Deco tours.
“We’re seeing people from all over the place.
“We’ve got guided tours being done today in German for groups of Germans.
“It’s a real UN delegation.”
Trinity Hill Winery cellar door manager Chris Telford said the flow of people coming in for a tasting had bounced back to levels he was catering to before Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
“The numbers have been really good.
“We’re getting a lot of both local and foreign tourists through.”
Gannet Safaris Overland general manager Sophie Phillips said since September, several thousand people from around the world had come to visit the gannet colony, both as part of cruise groups and as independent travellers.
“We’re tracking really, really well.
“All the internationals are here – the US is probably our biggest market travelling, and the Europeans, the Dutch and the Germans, lots of Australians and domestic travellers too.”
Independent advisory firm MartinJenkins recently released a marketing report on Hawke’s Bay’s visitor economy and regional destination marketing.
Hawke’s Bay Tourism chairman Dave Simmons said the report, commissioned by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Economic Development Agency, made clear there was a case for the region’s councils to continue to “sustainably fund” Hawke’s Bay Tourism.
Currently, Hawke’s Bay Tourism is funded only until the middle of this year, with a question mark hanging over its future after Hawke’s Bay Regional Council cut its funding, leaving the Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay councils to foot the bill to keep it operational.
“The report notes that council-funded regional destination marketing is a critical lever for securing the broader benefits of the visitor economy,” Simmons said.
“This is the work of Hawke’s Bay Tourism, to promote Hawke’s Bay nationally and internationally. It is distinctly different from the tourism marketing by councils or other organisations that tend to be event, attraction or location specific.”
Simmons said tourism was a huge earner for the region, with significant direct and multiplier effects taking the total above $1.4 billion, with $751 million in GDP and the industry playing a supporting role for more than 7600 jobs.
“Pleasingly, the report notes that every $1 invested by councils in Hawke’s Bay Tourism returns $514 to the local economy.”
The Hastings and Napier councils own significant tourism assets they needed to get a return on, and investment into the work of Hawke’s Bay Tourism was the best way to achieve higher returns, Simmons said.
“With uncertainty of funding for visitor attraction beyond June 2026, we have confidence that this report provides regional leaders with the insights and evidence they need to continue to invest in the vital work of Hawke’s Bay Tourism at current levels for the coming year, while we work together to agree a sustainable funding model for the long term.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.