Visitors at The Kauri Museum, Matakohe. Northland Inc has a plan to get even more out of visitors to the region.
Visitors at The Kauri Museum, Matakohe. Northland Inc has a plan to get even more out of visitors to the region.
When we see a busload of visitors jump off a bus and straight onto an island boat tour, then from that tour directly to their hotel for the evening, it is hard to see the wider impacts that the visitor industry has on our communities.
The visitor industry has muchfurther-reaching impacts that just the hotel, the tour operator, the airlines, attractions, and rental vehicle companies.
In fact, when we look at tourism expenditure by industry, as of February 2023 only about one third of spending from visitors is on what we would define as core tourism services - accommodation, culture and recreational services, transport and food and beverage. The rest of this spending is done at local supermarkets, petrol stations and retail stores, often owned or run by the local communities which they operate in.
Northland Inc Food and Beverage Ambassador Justine Stuart speaks at the 2022 Food & Beverage Industry Hui at Russell’s The Duke of Marlborough.
This visitor spend profile illustrates how Taitōkerau Northland’s visitor industry thrives through a regional support network of activity, driven by local people and businesses that don’t necessarily fit the idea of what constitutes “tourism activity”. From the fishermen supplying their catch to Mangōnui Fish Shop in the Far North, the contractors working for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to upgrade roads throughout the region, to the Four Square dairy owner in Kororāreka/Russell, everyone has their part to play in this vastly interconnected ecosystem.
This is why taking a destination management approach in our work as the Regional Tourism Organisation for Taitōkerau is so important. Through this lens, and under the umbrella of the Taitōkerau Northland Destination Management Plan, we are now looking at all the ways the visitor industry impacts our communities and how we can improve the value. This work looks at how we can drive benefits from visitors deeper into our region and across all months of the year, not just during the traditionally busy summer months.
The Taitōkerau Northland Food and Beverage Action Plan, an initiative of the Taitōkerau Northland Destination Management Plan, is working on actions to get food and beverage producers sharing in the benefits of the visitor industry. Whether through encouraging restaurants and cafes to use more locally-sourced ingredients, or investigating if there is an opportunity for people to visit the “food at source”, there is great potential across the region to share the best of Taitōkerau Northland produce with our visitors.
Amy Simpkin, destination management plan portfolio support at Northland Inc.
Through the Taitōkerau Northland Destination Management Plan, advocacy and support for better roading and digital infrastructure for Taitōkerau Northland will have greater benefits for visitors and locals alike, while creating employment opportunities in the region.
Similarly, our drive to support tourism operators to a more sustainable future through education and workshops, while also supporting local initiatives, will see more money into our communities for initiatives such as Project Island Song in the Bay of Islands, local marae and even backyard trapping efforts to get towards the Predator Free 2050 goal.
So next time you see a tourist get off a bus, remember that that visitor is supporting the region in a greater way than what you may see at first glance.
■ Amy Simpkin is Destination Management Plan Portfolio Support at Northland Inc, the region’s economic development agency.
