OPINION
Our region is basking in the after-glow of its summer holiday boom.
Hotels and motels were busy, restaurants and cafes were pumping out the paninis and lattes, while beaches and lakes were packed with sunseekers and water babies.
It was great news for Rotorua and Tauranga, traditional tourist hotspots, as holidaymakers from around the country spent hard-earned cash, giving our region a much-needed economic boost.
Auckland Anniversary weekend saw the cities' populations swell, with attractions such as the First We Eat festival popular with locals and visitors.
This Waitangi weekend we can look forward to One Love reggae festival in Tauranga and Waitangi Day celebrations.
But what comes afterwards is what's on the minds of those in the tourism industry.
As people pack up camping sites, clear out of motels and head home to settle into another year of school and work, the industry is fretting about a possible slump.
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Advertise with NZME.Waimarino Adventure Park owner Blair Anderson says it has been a fantastic start to 2021, but reality bites when he says the park now faces opening just two days a week.
"It's hard to say what the future is going to look like. It only takes one day of bad news to change everything. We just hope Kiwis continue to travel."
The Tourism Export Council paints a much bleaker picture telling NZME that inbound tour operators are "hanging by a thread" and without urgent Government intervention, more collapses are likely in the next three to six months.
These fears were echoed by most businesses and industry leaders NZME spoke to this week but many others say the number of events and activities have helped bump up bookings.
Perhaps that's the key to help sustain the industries until our borders open and safe travel bubbles can be established with other countries - a well-packed calendar of sports fixtures, events, festivals and concerts that keep people travelling, and spending, around our region.
Efforts now need to be concentrated on how to build on the summer boom's momentum and establishing the long-promised transtasman travel bubble.
There is a lot of pressure on these industries to survive until international travel becomes safe, so we all need to do our bit to help keep them afloat - including supporting Go Local!
