Summer tourism boost
Some tour operators hiring but fears for the year ahead
Some Rotorua tourism providers have been so busy with only a domestic market this summer they have hired more staff. Others who have survived the surprisingly steady season, however, are bracing for the “great unknown” as New Zealand’s holiday break begins to wrap up.
An influx of Kiwis travelling the country for their holidays, instead of travelling abroad due to Covid-19 curbs, has meant more domestic visitors than usual for much of Rotorua’s tourism sector this summer.
And while some businesses have reaped the benefits, others remain closed nearly 10 months after NZ went into level 4 lockdown.
One of the hardest hit was Te Puia but the tourism mecca has adapted its operation for the local market and last week opened Geyser By Night — Te Puia Light Trails.
Chief executive Tim Cossar said there had been an encouraging level of interest so far in th enew offering.
The first night attracted about 20 people and the second attracted about 12, he said.
The newness of the night-time tour meant it would take time before Te Puia could assess its success but Cossar said it was a “great first step”.
“Otherwise, the market for us has been pretty steady, post-christmas. I wouldn’t say it’s been a superheated market. We are getting a good number of people . . . but the numbers aren’t stellar. Weare hanging in there.”
Before Covid, Te Puia’s market was 93 to 96 per cent international. The financial impact of New Zealand’s border restrictions on the business “hasn’t been the $1 to $2 million mark, it’s tens of millions,” Cossar said.
“We were almost like a restart business. The Kiwi market, away from around here, really didn’t know what we had to offer and we still find that a lot of people have vague recollections of visiting Te Puia or the [Whakarewarewa] village when they were younger. That tends to be the pattern before they come and realise it has changed.
“It has been a huge shift.”
Cossar said while Te Puia and other local tourism outlets had had “good numbers” during the holidays, February was the “great unknown”.
“What happens when the season turns off? Because people have to go back to work. It’s not like our borders are going to open up any time soon.
“It has been nice to see local people come in and see a different side to us. It’s heartwarming to get the [positive] feedback but you still have to get the numbers through the gates. That remains our focus and challenge that’s what we’ve got to surmount.”
Secret Spot co-owner Keith Kolver said he was humbled by local support that had seen his hot tubs regularly fully booked over summer. However, he also was wary of a potential downturn after the holidays.
“We’ve been pretty happy with how things are tracking away and I suppose the big question is how’s the rest of summer going to go?”
Kolver said international visitors tended to come to New Zealand from mid-january to March after most Kiwis had finished their holidays.
Secret Spot opened just over a year ago and since Covid-19 has only added more staff and additions such as live music to its offerings.
“It’s like running on a sheet of flat
ice. We don’t know how thin the ice is, we don’t know if there’ll be a lockdown tomorrow, but you can’t keep still. You have to keep moving.”
Velocity Valley’s Debbie Guptill said the adventure park had been so busy they’d hired five more staff.
“Kiwis are still coming out, they are still supporting us. It’s fantastic. We are really humbled by it.”
Before Covid the park’s clientele was 70 per cent domestic tourists.
The shift to an exclusively domestic market had seen the number of Kiwi visitors spike 65 per cent compared with last summer.
Guptill said there had been a 50 per cent rise in people visiting from the South Island and a 60 per cent increase in visitors from Wellington.
“People are travelling from further afield. That’s really positive,” she said.
The five new staff for summer had been working six days a week.
“Obviously, it would not have been possible without the wage subsidy. That ensured we were able to retain our staff and able to remain open. If we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
However, she expected a significant downturn in February. It was
likely the team would take the quieter time to take annual leave and work on maintenance in the park, she said.
Each tourism provider spoken to said they felt for others in the industry who were still hurting.
Rotorua’s Agrodome and Rainbow Springs Nature Park both remain closed. Both are owned by Nga¯i Tahu. A spokeswoman for the iwi could not be reached for comment.
A voicemail message at the Agrodome said the tourism outlet was in “hibernation” due to Covid-19 and international border closures. It did not have a reopening date at this time, the message said.
A voicemail message for Rainbow Springs referred callers to its website, which said the nature park was still closed but the National Kiwi Hatchery, attached to the park, was open for tours.
Destination Rotorua executive manager of visitor services Graham Brownrigg said it had been a busy holiday period, which had not necessarily been expected. The Redwoods i-site attracted the same number of people as the previous year “which was a big surprise given that we’re now relying entirely on the domestic market”.
Good weather meant lots of people enjoying the lakes and forest then visiting the town centre when weather turned.
“This reflects the work of our marketing team who were running campaigns specifically targeting people within an hour’s drive to encourage day-trip visitors throughout the holiday period.”
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-hall said tourism was a major employer of women and youth and on average every $178,000 of visitor spend created one new job.
“These jobs are important for our regions, especially where there may be few other employment options.”
International visitors traditionally spend three times more per day than residents and domestic visitors spend two times more.