Spending increases in central Napier and Hastings

Napier's Art Deco Festival delivered a welcome boost to the economy. Photo / Paul Taylor

Fresh data suggests visitors are spending more money in central Napier and Hastings.

The latest figures have been welcomed by businesses and advocates for the twin cities.

According to new spending data, international visitor spend was up 11.7% in January compared with December for Napier’s CBD, and accommodation spending increased 27.7% for the same period.

That marked a good start for 2026.

Similar data has yet to be released for February in Napier, however, the Art Deco Trust has released initial data for the four-day Art Deco Festival held last month.

Marketview data shows spending during the festival was well above the average spend for that same four-day period of the week during the rest of 2026 to date.

Accommodation and apparel stores were up more than 50% and overall visitor spending was up 24.4%, according to the data.

Food and beverage services increased 42.3% in terms of spending.

“This festival has been a genuine shot in the arm for our local economy,” Art Deco Trust chairwoman Barbara Arnott said.

“More than half of our ticket buyers were new to the event, which shows we are growing and diversifying our audience.”

Thousands of people poured into Hawke’s Bay for the festival.

Meanwhile, tourism expenditure in Hastings increased 3% in the year to December 2025, with visitor spending rising from $300 million to $309m during that time, according to new Infometrics data.

That was higher than the national growth for visitor spending.

While total guest nights were lower over the year for Hastings in 2025 compared with 2024, visitors’ overall spending increased.

“That suggests we’re seeing higher-spending visitors,” Hastings Mayor Wendy Schollum said.

The report also described the Hastings economy as showing “early signs of recovery”, with GDP rising 0.1% over the year to December 2025.

Napier establishment The Rose Irish Pub said 2026 had started well.

“January was an outstanding month for us, with sales up 30% compared to the same period last year,” pub general manager Stephane Tran Truang said.

“The season has also seen a strong return of backpackers, particularly from France, who play an important role in supporting the region’s seasonal workforce.”

Owner of Napier boutique accommodation provider The Dome, Áilne Bradley, said January brought a strong return of overseas guests.

“We had a very busy January, with a noticeable return of international visitors, particularly from Europe and the UK.

“We’ve also welcomed a number of American guests – some here on holiday, others doing a reconnaissance trip to consider Napier and Hawke’s Bay as a future home.”