Locals and fellow New Zealanders will be key to keeping Hawke's Bay's 5600 tourism jobs

Tourism operators are looking to domestic visitors to get the industry back on track post lockdown and help protect the 5600 jobs at risk in the sector.

Domestic and international tourism contributed $672 million of regional spending in the Hawke's Bay region in the 12 months to December 2019.

Both of these markets are likely to suffer long-term downturns with leaders saying 5600 tourism jobs in the region are potentially at risk if the lockdown continues at its aggressive rate.

"In the first week of April we have already seen a reduction of over 80 per cent in spending from international cards compared to the same week last year, and an almost 100 per cent reduction in spending in Hastings and Napier in some industries," Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said.

With international travel restrictions likely to last for an unknown period, regional leaders are supportive of opening the door for Kiwis to visit the region.

"International travel restrictions may have a positive effect on the number of Kiwis who then decide to visit our region," she said.

"Hawke's Bay residents are also great supporters of the local visitor economy and spent $95 million locally on tourism related purchasing in the last financial year.

"This may be an opportunity for locals to rediscover what is around them."

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said regional leaders know the tourism industry is facing significant challenges due to the lockdown but it also provided opportunities to benefit in other regions.

"Our region's tourism is made up of 80 per cent domestic tourism so we have a great opportunity to market our region ... to the rest of New Zealand with all sorts of fun initiatives," she said.

"When we can, it's about getting our own Hawke's Bay community out there enjoying some of our great local tourism offerings.

"In the longer term, when people can travel again, we need to promote Hawke's Bay to the rest of New Zealand as the fantastic place it is for people to come and enjoy with their families."

Mark Scofield, owner of Napier bus tour company Decker City Discover, said it will not only be tourism feeling the impact but the many businesses that benefit from tourism. Photo / File

Mark Scofield, owner of Napier bus tour company Decker City Discover, said it will not only be tourism feeling the impact but the many businesses that benefit from the industry, such as wineries, retail stores and cafes.

He said with a huge portion of his business benefiting from international travellers and cruise ship passengers he needs domestic tourism to support him in the near future when things are able to get back to some sort of normal.

"A huge portion of my revenue comes from cruise ship and international guests with close to half of my business coming from them," Scofield said.

"At the moment we have a fleet of rental vehicles just sitting empty in a car lot doing nothing.

"I'm hoping that we can get to some level where we can at least get the domestic tourism industry back to a certain strength sometime in the future because it will be a while before the international visitors start flooding back in."

Hawke's Bay Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said visitor spend by Hawke's Bay locals was expenditure that had taken place inside the region but outside of a resident's normal zone of spending – identified as being at least 40km away from their normal spending areas.

"Tourism is of enormous value to Hawke's Bay and while Covid-19 has undoubtedly had an impact on our visitor economy. Planning and recovery initiatives are well under way," Saxton said.

"We are very fortunate that Hawke's Bay has an enduring and robust appeal to the domestic travel market due to our location, weather and incredible food, wine, produce, leisure activities and so much more.

"Domestic travel made up 74 per cent of spend in the year ending January 2020 and as we move through the alert levels, we expect to see that domestic market cautiously return."

James Beck of Bistronomy said he was feeling "cautiously optimistic" after Thursday's announcement of what level 3 could look like.

"There's great support within the industry from operators, restaurateurs, growers and the wineries, with everyone keen to help each other and make it work under level 3.

"As we begin to operate in this new normal, with our borders currently closed from the rest of the world, it gives us an opportunity to develop a real local economy.

"That's what we are going to have to do; adjust our businesses so that they function in a local market, with a local footprint that supports more than just restaurants like us, but also our suppliers and growers too."