Some tourism operators in Rotorua are launching new products and investing thousands into their business as they gear up for what's anticipated to be the "best summer in seven years".
Rotorua's tourism sector was severely impacted when Covid-19 forced borders to close in March, punching the wind out of an industry that had been experiencing all-time highs.
Nine months on, some operators continue to run at reduced hours while others remain shut to the public.
However, those pivoting their business model towards a solely domestic market are expected to be rewarded as Kiwis with money in their pockets from abandoned overseas trips plan to explore their own backyard this summer.
One of those businesses is Velocity Valley, which has invested upwards of $70,000 into the adrenaline park and hired four new fulltime staff in anticipation of a bumper summer.
Part of that investment includes its new attraction, the V-Force reverse bungy which launches 45m into the air at speeds of up to 80km/h.
V-Force opened to the public on Friday and sales and marketing manager Debbie Guptill says the new addition will give visitors even more selection among the suite of high adrenaline activities available at the park.
"We've been on the lookout for many years to find something to introduce into the park but we couldn't just do the run-of-the-mill ride like a ferris wheel or zipline.
"The difference with Velocity Valley is the uniqueness of the rides; the Shweeb is the only one in the world, the Agrojet was the first commercial jet sprint in the world, Freefall Xtreme was the only outdoor flying wind tunnel.
"So, introducing a new ride, it had to fit with the aesthetics of the park, with the high adrenaline thrill factor but still able to be experienced by young and old.
"The V-Force works really well and it was low-cost for us introducing it into the park. It's great to be able to offer something more for our domestic market and international when they come back on board."
Given the challenges of 2020, Guptill said introducing a new ride was not something Velocity Valley had expected to do this year.
"Before Covid hit, our market was 70 per cent domestic, so we already had a huge domestic following, which was amazing.
"We have felt the international market not being here, but our domestic market has come out in droves and they've pulled us through with their support.
"After lockdown, we thought we may be okay but it was all a bit of an unknown. But then Queen's Birthday came and it was the biggest day we've had in five years so the demand is there."
In addition to the V-Force, the park's Freefall Xtreme has also been upgraded with a 4.8m high transparent indoor cylinder, providing flyers with both an indoor and outdoor flying experience.
Guptill said the investments they were making to the park were all sound in the face of what they were predicting to be a "massive summer".
"We are predicting the best summer in seven years.
"We know Kiwis are going to get out. We're seeing the forward bookings in accommodation, we are getting lots of inquiries coming through, people are planning on coming on New Year's Day or Boxing Day to get in early, and that's not just for us.
"Lots of families I've spoken to, when I've asked what they would normally be doing, they've said 'we're supposed to be in Europe right now on a $30,000 holiday but we're going to take three trips throughout New Zealand with our kids instead' and that's fantastic, I'm so pleased people are going out and visiting their own backyard."
Whakarewarewa Village, one of Rotorua's oldest indigenous tourism offerings, had a karakia this week to mark its reopening and launch of its new Whaka Geothermal Trails attraction.
General manager Mike Gibbons said the reopening was an emotional one, after being on hiatus for almost nine months.
"It is a relief for the staff and the whole team being able to restart our journey. We've already had wonderful responses and support from our trade partners.
"It's a big step for us and a cautious one but we are confident in the domestic market and we are expecting strong numbers over the summer period in particular.
"Every day we've been closed we have seen people driving up and seeing our gates are closed then driving away so we know there is a desire from the domestic market for the products we have to offer."
Gibbons said the village reopening seven days a week sent a message of confidence to the industry.
"The impact Covid has had on businesses will be felt for another couple of years but we felt we needed to make a statement by opening back up fulltime ahead of summer."
He said the new geothermal trails was an initiative that came out of a need to pivot the village's offerings to a domestic market post-Covid.
"There will be a five minute guided component and then visitors will have the freedom to walk through the park at their own leisure.
"These geothermal features have never been opened to the public before but it's a special place and we are very fortunate to be able to share it with the public."
Gibbons said holidaymakers who would otherwise be on overseas trips would be looking around Aotearoa for new things to do.
"People will be wanting to get out and do things with their friends and whānau. We are expecting strong visitation and being able to offer something unique, something steeped in culture, in nature, is an experience that Kiwis want to have."
Katoa Lake Rotorua owner Will Scadden has been pushing their Lake Rotoiti Hot Pools excursion to the domestic market and has been seeing more uptake week on week.
Running more specials to entice Kiwi families has proved to be a successful strategy for the tourism operator and he says it has helped that their market prior to Covid was predominantly domestic.
He said the last school holidays had been busy and he hoped that would be a taster to what the summer months would bring.
In fact, it was going to be vital, he said.
"Having a strong summer is going to be crucial for a lot of operators here because the next winter is going to be tough as the novelty of domestic travel wears off."
Destination Rotorua chief executive Andrew Wilson said school holidays always brought an "important economic boost" for the visitor industry.
"We've seen a big increase in domestic travel over the past six months so we are feeling optimistic that New Zealanders will continue this trend to explore their own country.
"While the domestic market can never make up for the lack of international visitors at this time of the year, many businesses have reported significant year on year increases in domestic spend and we expect that to continue over the holidays."
Wilson said Destination Rotorua was doing everything it could to support the local industry.
"[We] will be continuing to market the destination strongly to ensure that Rotorua remains top of mind as New Zealanders plan their summer holidays."
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