Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick to speak at China Mayoral Forum in Wellington

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick.

A China Mayoral Forum in Wellington will provide an opportunity to further position Rotorua to its second largest overseas visitor market, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick says.

A keynote speaker at the two-day forum, the mayor will speak about tourism and will be accompanied at the forum by Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer, Te Tatau o Te Arawa chief executive Te Taru White and Rotorua Chinese Community of Commerce representative Dr Ho Po Kin.

"Our team will be attending some high level meetings, promoting Rotorua offerings and will be on the lookout for tourism and investment opportunities to support our diverse economy," Chadwick said.

Twelve Chinese mayors and vice-mayors from mid and large-sized cities and 38 New Zealand mayors will attend the two-day forum, which starts on Sunday. The forum aims to further strengthen relationships between regions of both countries with trade and investment opportunities in tourism, education and primary industries a focus.

China is New Zealand's largest source of foreign students, with 34,000 in 2016, and in 2016 took $9.4 billion of export goods with primary products top of the list.

"Rotorua has been hosting visitors from China in large numbers since the 1980s and we're now benefiting from a rapid increase in air connectivity with regions in China and New Zealand. We also benefit from the strong and growing development of independent travellers from China," Chadwick said.

"The China Free Trade Agreement benefits the two-way flow of people and business between our countries and builds cultural understanding and a shared history. Many of our visitors leave Rotorua as ambassadors of New Zealand, feeling connected to our products and services through engagement with our people.

"Today, tourism in Rotorua is an $803 million per annum industry and we have a goal to make that $1 billion annually. With all indications telling us that tourism is still growing, it's an entirely achievable goal and Rotorua remains a key destination for visitors from China who love our Maori culture and our geothermal environment and spa offerings.

"We're always looking for the next step in our evolution as a visitor destination and there's a renewed focus on the quality and authenticity of the experience Rotorua offers to maintain our key destination status.

"Visitors I've spoken to and who have written to me have been really impressed with how the inner city and parks like Kuirau Park and Government Gardens are looking. That's very heartening but we must always be looking to review and improve to ensure we provide an excellent overall experience."

The mayor says experiencing the strong culture of Rotorua will always be the main driver of visitors to our district.

"Building on the legacy of Rotorua's earliest Maori tourism operators who guided visitors to the Pink and White Terraces, there's a renewed focus on positioning Rotorua as a leader in authentic visitor experiences that embrace manaakitanga – hospitality- and support a sustainable, growing visitor economy."

With investment in developments like the Wai Ariki Luxury Spa and Wellness Centre, Chadwick says Rotorua is rekindling its spa and wellness industry and that will be attractive for visitors from China.

"We're also now, to meet the growing demand of both the Chinese and international travel markets, looking for hotel investment from both onshore and offshore investors so this weekend's forum also provides an opportunity from that aspect."