Tourism spend on the rise in Rotorua

Tourists pictured at Rotorua's i-Site. MBIE figures show $773 million was spent in the district by tourists to the year ending January, a 4 per cent increase on the year before. Photo/Ben Fraser

Rotorua MP Todd McClay says he's delighted Rotorua is continuing to benefit from tourism growth, but his Labour Party opponent wants to see even more invested in the district's tourism infrastructure.

Mr McClay said a large increase in tourism spending in Rotorua was fantastic news for the region and would continue to support job creation, growth and infrastructure upgrades.

But, Labour Party candidate for Rotorua Ben Sandford said while the figures were encouraging and local tourism providers, event organisers and organisations such as Destination Rotorua continued to do incredible work a lot of work remained to be done.

According to monthly regional tourism estimates released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, $773 million was spent in the district by tourists to the year ending January, a 4 per cent increase on the year before.

In January alone, tourists spent $102 million, up 5 per cent from January 2016.

However, this was behind national figures of a 7 per cent increase in spending for the year ending January - and a 6 per cent increase for January alone.

"This is a real win for Rotorua and it shows just how important tourism is for our local economy," Mr McClay said.

"Events like Crankworx, the mud festival and the Tarawera Ultra Marathon all add to Rotorua's appeal, showcasing us on the world stage.

"I'm very optimistic that 2017 will be another record year for tourism spending if the numbers continue to track this way.

"Those of us who are lucky enough to live here know why Rotorua is such a highly desirable location to visit," Mr McClay said.

"We have beautiful scenery, exciting attractions and an unparalleled visitor experience.

"As international visitor spending is booming, we must also invest to sustain the supporting infrastructure."

He said the Government was investing in infrastructure across the board to support visitors, including roading and mobile service infrastructure.

Mr Sandford said despite hard work by locals "it's frustrating to see the National Government on one hand promote tourism and on the other undermine it".

"We need investment in our infrastructure, most tourism workers in Rotorua are on the minimum wage, so if someone is working a full-time job and still struggling to get by the tourism industry will suffer as a result."

Destination Rotorua trade manager Patrick Dault said while it was great to see growth in local tourism, the challenge was to keep Rotorua's tourism products "top of mind".

"We must continue to maximise opportunities, aim to diversify our clientele visiting Rotorua, ensure we remain up to date with technology to meet the quickly evolving client demand and be nimble enough to develop bespoke experiences that are profitable and tailored to each market."

Rotorua tourism spend for January

● $773 million for the year ending January, up 4 per cent
● $102 million spent in January 2017, up 5 per cent
● $26,065 million spent nationally for the year ending January, up 7 per cent
● $2979 million spent nationally in January 2017, up 6 per cent
Source; Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment monthly regional tourism estimates