If I asked you how many people commute collectively in and out of our airport each year I bet the house you would be tens of thousands short on your estimation.
Between acts at the Joe Cocker and George Throughgood concert at Napier's Church Road Winery in Napier last weekend, I
conducted a straw poll of friends from Napier and a bunch of us Rotorovegans.
The consensus was about 100,000 people and I was hard pressed to make them believe the figure is, in fact, circa 300,000. The George Thorogood hit One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer was mentioned more than once as I stood fast on my statistics before quickly changing the subject.
Call me parochial, but I didn't care I was right and they were way wrong.
So here's the fact once again - about five times the population of Rotorua commutes in and out of our airport each year, with 20,000-odd international commutes. Rotorua is a pretty busy little airport.
The Rugby World Cup, plus the mix of more and more sectors, leisure, events and company conferences from the Australian market, will just add variety, volume and value to our international airport, with Rotorua being the main economic benefactor.
Having a plethora of attractions, activities and existing infrastructure - accommodation and conference facilities - in Rotorua bodes us well for the sustainable growth of our airport and you can be assured the teams in events and venues, tourism marketing and industry are focused on delivering this to target markets into Rotorua.
The city is focused on becoming the people distribution hub to the wider Bay of Plenty and I would include the Hawkes Bay, in the Central Park group, into this mix now, as it's an easy drive of a little more than two hours from here.
The newly-opened bypass, avoiding Taupo's central business district, has made travel to the Hawkes Bay so much faster.
I would hasten to add, the bypass will, in my opinion, not benefit retailers and tourism operators in Taupo in the short term as the stop off for a coffee and mooch around the shops has just been mitigated by the bypass.
But I'm sure there are plans afoot to pull travellers, not trucks, back in the CBD.
Every city has its challenges and opportunities to retain and attract visitation and growth. I'm confident Rotorua is on-track and ready for the next step in delivering this.
We are regionally connected and focused on strategic economic outcome through the Bay of Connections economic development group and have both local and regional connection through the newly formed Tourism Standing Committee.
Central Park New Zealand is gearing up to deliver our long-term vision of Rotorua. Let's get in behind this, deliver a world class city and live the dream we are so privileged to be part of.
- Grant Kilby is the general manager for Destination Rotorua Economic Development