Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said tourism operators had enjoyed the spoils of success based on a packed Easter activities calendar.
"March was a great month, many commercial properties felt it was a stronger month than February and it was also helped by a an Easter full of events for all ages and stages. We were expecting it to be a strong month.
Easter-based events brought in crowds of visitors last month. A total of 2000 people entered the sixth 42km The Big Easy cycle event from Black Barn Vineyards to Church Road Winery - a record turnout.
Mr Gordon said MBIE developed the MRTEs in consultation with tourism industry representatives to create a better measurement of the value of tourism in the regions.
"Tourism spending information for the regions helps inform investment and planning in the tourism industry by providing insight into where both domestic and international tourists are spending their money."