He said pedestrian counts were one of the factors businesses considered, but not the only one.
Businesses relocating to Rotorua often wanted to go to Rotorua Central, but with the complex now full he said businesses saw the mall end of Tutanekai St as "the next best thing".
Addiction Surf and Skate was an example of one of those businesses, he said.
They have established in the area of Tutanekai St which has one of the top five pedestrian counts.
Mr Rendell said the area around Tutanekai St and Eruera St towards Amohia St was an area people tended to go "to spend money".
While Tutanekai St was sought after, businesses also liked Eruera St and Pukuatua St as locations, he said.
Harcourts agent Paul Sanford said the pedestrian count figures were further good news for the city, which seemed to have a positive buzz about it.
National tenants - like larger chains - generally took pedestrian counts into account more when selecting a location, he said.
Other factors included rent and the size of space available, he said.
Mr Sanford said it was another step toward attracting businesses to town.
"You can't say that is the difference but it is one of many things that help."
Property Institute of New Zealand Rotorua/Taupo branch chairperson Helen Brumby said the results weren't a huge surprise, as the mall had dominated the counts since 2001.
What was a surprise, she said, was the increase in foot traffic in the mall - jumping by more than 200 people since the previous count.
She said it was difficult to say exactly why the mall had seen such a jump, as the count wasn't done during school holidays.
Full copies of the report - which covered 37 sites across the central city - are available for purchase from the Rotorua branch.
