Tourists spent an estimated $1.8 billion in the Bay of Plenty in the last year - up 6 per cent from the previous year.
The latest Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates were released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) today.
MBIE acting manager of sector trends Ben Wallace said that of this tourism spend in the year to April 2017, international visitors spent $597 million, up 5 per cent compared with the year to April 2016, and domestic tourists spent $1.2b, up 6 per cent in that period.
"When it comes to the monthly expenditure, tourism spend in Bay of Plenty for the month of April 2017 is up 12 per cent compared with the month of April 2016," said Mr Wallace.
MBIE developed the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates in consultation with tourism industry representatives to create a better measurement of the value of tourism in the regions.
"Tourism spend information for the regions helps inform investment and planning in the tourism industry by providing insight into where both domestic and international tourists are spending their money," he said.
The Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates measure the expenditure of international and domestic visitors in regions in New Zealand.