TOP STORY: Extra 22,000 visitors stay in the Bay

ROGER MORONEY
Hawke's Bay had a bumper tourist year in 2005, bucking a national downward curve.
And if events so far this year are anything to go by the region is set to enjoy another good year.
In the latest accommodation survey by Statistics New Zealand, the number of visitors spending time in Hawke's Bay rose by 4.8 percent - which translated to an extra 22,000 people over the previous year.
In terms of guest nights (the length of a visitor's stay) the region recorded an additional 45,000 nights in 2005, up 4.9 percent.
The national average was 3.4 percent down on the previous year.
More good news for the local tourism and hospitality industry was that figures showed visitors to Hawke's Bay stayed 7 percent longer than they did in other regions.
Hawke's Bay Inc marketing manager Aaron Hing said the regions which had shown continuous growth over the past year were those on the "fringe" of traditional tourism destinations.
Some of that could be attributed to Tourism New Zealand's strategy of attracting visitors to destinations that were considered off the beaten track.
This year has got off to a flying start through Harvest Hawke's Bay, Church Road Winery concerts and the hosting of the biggest Brebner Print Art Deco celebration ever (with estimates of up to 20,000 people having come to the region over a 10-day period) and continues this weekend with the Mission Estate Winery Concert.
February is the big earner with portable coffee and snack stalls having made plenty of hay at open air events while the sun shone.
However some hamper catering outlets hoping for a big Mission Estate Concert weekend rush to wrap the month up are still waiting for it to happen.
One Napier caterer who did big business last year taking hamper orders four days out said that side of the business was "way down" this week.
Another, the Olive Branch, also said they were still waiting for the hoped-for rush on hampers and concert goodies.
By this time last year the orders had begun arriving, although there is a feeling that out-of-town visitors coming for the Mission concert would create a last-minute rush.