The positive trend of visitor spending in the Whanganui region has continued. Photo / Bevan Conley
In what is usually a quiet time of year for tourism, Whanganui has topped the national table for domestic tourism growth for the second month in a row.
Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) Whanganui & Partners reported the region’s visitor spending had grown by 9.8 per cent year on year in May, more than double the next highest regional growth.
Out of 31 RTOs in Aotearoa, only six recorded growth for May 2023 compared to May 2022.
Dunedin was next highest with 3.9 per cent, followed by Waitaki with 1.7 per cent, Kaikōura with 1.6 per cent, Southland with 0.2 per cent and Auckland with 0.05 per cent.
New Zealand’s average visitor spending was down 5.2 per cent in May 2023 compared to May 2022, with the spending of neighbouring regions Manawatū and Taranaki reducing by 0.7 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively.
Whanganui’s growth in May nearly doubled its table-toping growth of 5.2 per cent in April.
Whanganui & Partners acting chief executive Jonathan Sykes said the agency had expected the upward trend to continue.
“We look at consumer spend data very carefully and keep a close eye on our regional peers, so we could see Whanganui was bucking national trends and not succumbing to the slowdown regions typically get midyear,” Sykes said.
However, recording such significant growth was hugely encouraging.
There were multiple factors responsible for the growth, according to Sykes.
“We know that weather events on the East Coast likely impacted our visitor numbers, particularly earlier in the year.
“But Whanganui is seeing continued domestic visitor growth and at a rate which our neighbours are missing out on, and that’s significant.”
Mainstreet Whanganui general manager Des Warahi agreed, having spoken to travellers coming to the region due to Cyclone Gabrielle disrupting holiday plans.
“Some of them have said that they’ve had to change their travel plans, and they’re glad they have, due to weather conditions on the east coast,” he said.
Others he had spoken to said they were here as a result of greater social media exposure for the region.
The region consistently recording high temperatures over the last few months also swayed some holiday-goers’ minds.
“People are commenting on that when they’re watching the news and thinking, ‘Wow, what’s happening in Whanganui?’”
Mainstreet Whanganui staff had seen a steady influx of tourists to the region across May and continuing through June and July, traditionally quiet times for tourism.
Many travellers had come from neighbouring regions, such as Wellington, for only a couple of days.
Warahi saw this as part of an emerging trend of people favouring travel to neighbouring regions rather than further abroad.
“There does seem to be a different mindset about coming out to the regions and going to places you wouldn’t normally go, which is obviously really good for us,” he said.
The last-minute opening of the ski fields on Mt Ruapehu also played a part, he suspected, as their opening meant positive outcomes for Whanganui as well as Ruapehu.
Te Manu Atatū Māori Business Network chairman Hayden Potaka said overall there had been a steady increase in business from last May.
While operators had seen improvements, he also pinned the increase in spending as part of the ongoing economic recovery from the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“It’s probably increased from the year before because there wasn’t that much the year before,” he said.
In line with this, he thought Whanganui had suffered less of the long-term economic effects of the lockdowns due to the region relying less on international tourism.
However, the weather of recent times had also had an effect on local operators.
“Most of the activities or businesses in our tourism field are recreational or outdoor.”
With the erratic nature of current weather patterns, it was difficult to say how operators in the region were truly fairing.
“In general, they’ve been surviving,” he said.
As winter subsides and conditions hopefully become clearer he expected business to continue to improve.
New additions to the Mountains to the Sea Cycle Trail like Te Ara Mangawhero on Mt Ruapehu would bring a further increase in people to the region.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.