Local Focus: Lockdown impacts on Rotorua Canopy Tours again

Rotorua Canopy Tours has been impacted again. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

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Lockdowns have paused tourism operations once again in Rotorua but one operator says this time it is different.

Rotorua Canopy Tours have been hit hard with the loss of international visitors, and now their domestic visitors have disappeared again.

"Since the last lockdown, we were 40 per cent Kiwi and 60 per cent international," general manager Paul Button said.

"We've grown our domestic audience by 50 per cent. They weren't paying as much, so revenue increased by about 40 per cent from that of that original domestic audience.

"We've always just had our head above water and, to be honest, the last three or four weeks we were just starting to feel nice, you know."

Several months out of lockdown and the Tasman bubble meant demand was picking up.

"We were getting small school groups and small groups corporate and it was starting to feel comfortable ... well not comfortable, it was just starting to feel nice."

Another level 4 lockdown has once again stalled operations but, at least this time, Button knows what to expect after it ends.

"In the first lockdown in March 2020, we didn't know if we'd survive, we didn't know if we'd have the market, we didn't know if we'd have a domestic market, we didn't know anything.

"This time we know that we've got a great product, there will be demand when we open, we need our team, " Button said.

Not knowing the timeline for moving back down the lockdown levels is difficult, but Button realises there are bigger issues.

"The health of the country is first and foremost the highest priority right now and we understand that, and so we want the Government to take care of that for sure. But when we can open, we'll definitely open and host New Zealanders when we can."

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