Rotorua has been ranked the fourth most popular place for New Zealanders to visit by Australasian accommodation website Wotif.com.
It's a ranking which has pleased the city's tourism leaders, but they also say there is no reason why the city can't take first place.
The city came in behind the country's largest cities, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, but ahead of tourist destinations Queenstown and Taupo, which were ranked fifth and sixth.
The rankings were based on accommodation bookings made via the website last year.
Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing general manager Don Gunn said although he did not want to compare Rotorua with other regions, he was "reasonably happy" with the ranking, especially because the city was more of a leisure destination than a business one.
He said he would be interested to know whether people were booking accommodation for business or leisure.
"I would say that it probably stands to reason that Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are at the top."
Mr Gunn said his organisation had done a "hell of a lot" to attract domestic tourists, including advertising in a wider range of media as well as putting up billboards in Auckland.
Rotorua was a good family destination due to its wide range of activities offered.
More New Zealanders tended to stay in private accommodation than commercial accommodation when visiting Rotorua with private accommodation figures "way up", Mr Gunn said.
Agrodome managing director Warren Harford said being ranked fourth was "good news" but there was no reason Rotorua could not be the most preferred destination for New Zealanders.
Mr Harford, a member of the Inbound Tour Operators Council, said there had been a resurgence in the domestic market in Rotorua.
He said there was at least a 30 per cent growth in the number of New Zealanders visiting the Agrodome and its adventure products last year.
There were more activities in Rotorua than any other region in New Zealand and they were less expensive, Mr Harford said.
Wotif.com's New Zealand manager Lisa Williams told the Daily Post that Polynesian Spa, Rainbow Fairy Springs, Skyline Skyrides and the region's many lakes had helped Rotorua secure fourth place.
Many of the city's hotels and motels were not only providing accommodation but also organising special deals for tourists to visit the city's attractions.
"That is working favourably because people feel like they are getting better bang for their buck."
Meanwhile, New Zealand Riverjet, situated half way between Rotorua and Taupo, has had the biggest January in its history with a 500 per cent increase, compared with January last year.
Managing director Nick Berryman said a combination of a solid sales and marketing strategy and an increase in the region's domestic market had led to such a large rise.
New Zealand Riverjet offers the combination of jet boating and the Orakei Korako geothermal attraction. Top 10 Destinations: 1 Auckland 2 Wellington 3 Christchurch 4 Rotorua 5 Queenstown 6 Taupo 7 Hamilton 8 Dunedin 9 Napier 10 Palmerston North
Kiwis love it here in Rotorua
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