Wooing ‘cruise set’ works

It’s been a bumper year for Takapuna tourism as international visitors from cruise ships spend their hard-earned dollars beachside.

New figures from a Marketview report recorded a $6 million up-tick in spending in Takapuna over the 12 months ending June 30 this year, the Takapuna Beach Business Association has reported.

That brings the year’s total spending in the shopping centre to $220 million.

Association chief executive Terry Holt said the healthy growth was due to the influx of tourists in the area, thanks to an initiative capturing cruise liner spend by bringing busloads of shipped-in visitors over the Harbour Bridge. The initiative, which went into effect in November, was Holt’s brainchild.

He formed a partnership with Auckland-based business ID Tours, which manages ground operations for cruise liners, setting up day excursions to the North Shore beach for recently docked groups.

‘‘We have had very positive feedback from [ID Tour’s] guests around their Takapuna experience,’’ Holt said.

The cruise visitors are largely American tourists, with travelling Aussies and Brits also among the visitors. Their recently exchanged dollars have bolstered local revenue, contributing to 150,000 extra transactions compared with the previous financial year which translates to a 26.2 per cent increase in purchases.

Locals still make up two-thirds of the spend. But with both locals and visitors, hospitality reigns, at 36 per cent of the overall spend.

‘‘We have had very positive feedback’’ Terry Holt