Road closure ‘switches off’ tourism trade
Total tourism spending continues to grow, but last year’s earthquakes have had a lingering impact on North Canterbury and Marlborough, while boosting the West Coast economy.
The latest figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show domestic and international visitors contributed $27.3 billion to the national economy for the year to September 30, up 6 per cent.
All the regions bar Marlborough were up, with the fastest growth on the West Coast, which increased 14 per cent to $544 million, followed by Tasman (up 14 per cent to $315m) and Southland (up 10 per cent to $623m).
The West Coast was buoyed by strong international spending by German and American visitors, which rose by about a third.
The MBIE figures by territorial authority area also reflect changed travel patterns as a result of the State Highway 1 closure.
The Buller District benefited from increased traffic over the Lewis Pass after the earthquake, pushing up total visitor spending for the September year by almost 30 per cent.
However, the impact of the November earthquake is clear in Kaikoura, where the annual spend was down by almost half to $63m. In Marlborough it was down 2 per cent overall.
Destination Kaikoura manager Glenn Ormsby said the drop was about what he was expecting.
Destination Marlborough manager Jacqui Lloyd said the closure of SH1 to Kaikoura was undoubtedly behind the drop in spending, particularly by visitors from Canterbury who could not face the long drive on the alternative route.
‘‘Since the road closed that traffic has been switched off.’’
A survey had showed most Canterbury visitors came by car, and 75 per cent had said they would no longer visit because of the roading situation.
‘‘There’s a lot of Cantabrians who bring their boats up to the Sounds for the summer. They have baches in the Sounds and come up for long weekends.
‘‘That business has not happened since [the earthquakes in] November last year.’’
Fortunately the drop in the domestic market had been offset by a rise in the international sector, Lloyd said.
A campaign to attract more visitors from Nelson, Tasman, Wellington and Auckland also appeared to be helping.
Lloyd said she had been assured the road would reopen before Christmas, which was vital for summer trade.