'Nearly there': Tourism Minister Stuart Nash on Rotorua's next opportunities

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash (right) and Swedish mountain biking champion Emil Johansson at Crankworx Rotorua. Photo / Maryana Garcia

"I see Rotorua well and truly on the way out of this pandemic hole in a year's time."

This is Tourism Minister Stuart Nash's prediction for Rotorua.

On a visit to Crankworx on Thursday, Nash told the Rotorua Daily Post there were opportunities for the city's tourism industry but no specific recovery plan for the region.

"In a year's time we'll be here in T-shirts because it will be a little warmer, battling our way through crowds as there are once again thousands of people coming to Crankworx."

When asked if there was a specific recovery plan for Rotorua tourism and small business, Nash said: "There won't be [a plan] specific to the region, per se."

Johansson (left) and Nash at Crankworx Rotorua, which the Tourism Minister hopes will be able to welcome back big crowds next year. Photo / Maryana Garcia

Nash said regional tourism organisations such as Rotorua Economic Development (RED) were given funding to market the region specifically.

In August, RED was granted $1.5 million in funding from the Government.

According to a report for the Rotorua Lakes Council Operations and Monitoring committee meeting, RED had engaged a communications agency to "help get more positive media coverage for the city by sharing some of our inspirational local business stories".

Nash said RED and other regional organisations were not given guidelines around spending the funding but "regenerative tourism" was the "number one priority".

"It's about incorporating local stories, working with key stakeholders to make sure tourism really delivers," Nash said.

"Tourism is about telling a really good story. I think Rotorua's got a really good story to tell."

When asked to comment on Government's plans to alleviate the emergency housing situation, Nash said housing "our most desperate in hotels is not ideal".

"But the only other option is having them out on the street and I don't think any Kiwi wants to see families living on the street.

"I think the Kiwi way is to help them when they find themselves in a little bit of a hole, help them get out of that and help them to move forward. That's certainly my philosophy."

Nash acknowledged Rotorua had "done it really hard".

"The global Covid pandemic has changed tourism for good," Nash said.

"I have enormous sympathy for men and women who had a really good business in a pre-Covid environment ... and for reasons completely outside of their control found themselves in a terrible situation.

"If they're still going, I would say we're nearly at the end of this. If they've fallen over, then my deepest sympathies. There will be opportunities that come out of the situation we find ourselves in, just hang in there."

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash (right) spent two days in Rotorua, also visiting Waiariki Films on Wednesday. Photo / Felix Desmarais / LDR

Nash said one "potential opportunity" was to see Rotorua work closely with Queenstown.

"They're both areas in our country that have high-end tourism experiences. From where I sit, I see how you could develop a strong value proposition around what that could look like.

"One thing I think we do know is we do need to work together as a country to attract these high-value tourists and there's no reason why there couldn't be a commercial opportunity presented to Air New Zealand."

Nash said Rotorua would be a premier destination for who he called "high-value" tourists.

"What we're talking about is the sort of tourist who's saved hard and sees Rotorua as an aspirational destination.

"These are the sort of people who come, spend money, have a good time and then go home and tell everyone about it."

Earlier in Nash's visit to Rotorua, the Minister said he believed a direct link between Rotorua and Queenstown would be a "fantastic idea" but it was up to the two district councils to lobby for it and Air New Zealand to make its own decision, although the Government could "quietly encourage" it.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said direct flights between the two destinations "was something both districts have always wanted".

"But it's not something we've been pushing since Covid-19."

Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the company's immediate focus was on getting the existing domestic network back up and running.