The stoush continues
Proposed cut to tourism funding
Over the past five years visitors staying in commercial accommodation in Hawke’s Bay have steadily risen from 957,494 guest nights in 2013 to 1.2 million guest nights in the year to January 2018.
Formulated by Stats NZ each month, Hawke’s Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said these figures represented only some of the actual number who visited.
“This data is collected monthly from hotels, motels, backpackers and holiday parks.
“We believe this accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of nights spent in Hawke’s Bay — it does not include people staying at people’s homes, or Airbnbs and bed and breakfasts, which are also a very important market for Hawke’s Bay.”
Of those who stayed in commercial accommodation, in the year to January about 338,000 were international visitors.
Information on the country of origin of international visitors was not captured in the data, but what was known was that total visitor spending in the region was $630 million a year by the end of December 2017, with international visitors contributing $173m, Ms Dundas said.
Events and cruise ship visits were also a big contributor to the economy, with the annual Art Deco Weekend and the likes of Horse of the Year bringing in about $12 million each, she said.
Cruise tourism activity across the country and Hawke’s Bay had increased over the past three years, according to New Zealand Cruise Association figures.
In the 2016/17 year there were 54 port calls to Hawke’s Bay, adding $17m value to the region.
This number was projected to reach 66 port calls in 2018/19 with a value of $21m.
NZ Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O’Sullivan said Hawke’s Bay Tourism had built up extensive links and networks over the years, helping make the region an attractive destination option for cruise passengers.
“This happens because of local, dedicated people.
“Hawke’s Bay is very well known but if the likes of Hawke’s Bay Tourism are not able to promote it as much you could lose that momentum — there’s always a possibility the ships could go somewhere else.”
He said for the past two years, the association had used Napier and Hawke’s Bay as an example of creating a must-see destination.
He said the association would be lodging a submission opposing the proposed Hawke’s Bay Regional Council funding cut.