Rotorua tourism gets boost

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said driving Rotorua's domestic marketing was one of the highest priorities for the council. Photo / File

Between $700,000 and $800,000 in additional cash will be injected into promoting Rotorua for the next few years under a new tourism initiative.

The initiative's key aim is to double Rotorua's domestic and international visitor earnings from $502million to $1billion by 2030.

The Rotorua Tourism Partner Investment Programme is a voluntary, visitor industry-led, long-term fundraising investment model that it is hoped will supplement ratepayer contributions to change the way Rotorua is marketed to the rest of the world.

The programme is driven by nearly 80 of the city's tourism and hospitality providers and supported by the Rotorua District Council's Destination Rotorua Marketing, Events, i-SITE & Venues business unit.

It was the first public/private partnership of its type in the country, Skyline Rotorua general manager Bruce Thomasen said. "Our industry strength lies in leveraging visitor volume, which at over 3.3 million visitors per annum puts Rotorua in the top five destinations in New Zealand.

"This partnership enables Rotorua to punch above its weight in marketing the destination in ways that just could not happen otherwise," he said.

Ogo Group partner Melissa Craig said that for an owner-operator investing in Rotorua for the long term the partnership made a lot of sense.

"It's pleasing to see many smaller businesses have committed to the partnership. Rotorua can't rest on its laurels and this programme ensures we're all working together to reach our goals," Ms Craig said.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said driving Rotorua's domestic marketing was one of the highest priorities for the council.

"Changing the perception, and ultimately the reality, of Rotorua in the eyes of both residents and visitors is a major component of our Rotorua 2030 strategic direction and the ongoing delivery of the Famously Rotorua campaign is a major driver of that," she said.

Rotorua Hotels' Tourism Industry Association sector chairman Gert Taljaard believed the programme represented an exciting new direction.

"It enables the destination, through campaigns such as Famously Rotorua, to remind Kiwis just how fantastic Rotorua is to visit.

"The hotels in our city continue to make significant investment into their products and services and this campaign activity provides us with the platform to communicate our position as the leading visitor destination in New Zealand."

That sentiment was supported by Rotorua Association of Motels' chairman Barry Mabey, who said it was good to see the tourism industry working together to profile the best of Rotorua's past, present and future in such a cohesive way.