Kaikōura set for summer
Kaikōura tourist operators are gearing up for a busy summer.
The international border is open, cruise ship visits are scheduled and overseas tourists are starting to trickle back into town.
All Kaikōura needs now is a normal summer and plenty of sunshine, Destination Kaikōura chairperson Lynette Buurman said.
‘‘We are feeling optimistic. We have got a lot to be excited about as a community,’’ she said.
‘‘There is a steady increase in bookings coming through and it is really good to see that interest still exists around Kaikō ura as a destination.’’
Destination Kaikōura manager Lisa Bond said the town was starting to see visitors from Australia, Singapore, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. But there were no Chinese tourists yet, with China’s border remaining closed.
‘‘We are starting to build up numbers again,’’ Buurman said.
‘‘It is not a mass increase, but people’s confidence to travel is returning. A lot has happened in the last few
years and everyone has lost something.
‘‘But we can’t wait to welcome tourists back this summer.’’
While cruise ship schedules were subject to change, Kaikō ura could expect to see a record number, with 16 scheduled to visit at this stage.
The first visit, Westerdam, arrived on November 14.
‘‘We are looking forward to it and we have [Mayor] Craig [Mackle] already lined up to greet the cruise ships,’’ Bond said.
‘‘He hasn’t had a chance to do it yet, but [former Mayor] Winston [Gray] did it before him.’’
The ‘‘soft opening’’ of the new Sudima Hotel last month was ‘‘a game changer’’ for the town, Bond said. ‘‘The fact they have committed to it is such a positive for the town,’’ said Buurman, who is also co-owner of Encounter Kaikō ura.
‘‘Other businesses can look at them and think ‘wow!’ If they know the timing is right to open with this size and significance, it gives us all confidence.’’
For now, the Kaikōura iSite remains in hibernation.
Visitors can access information from the website kaikoura.co.nz and there were posters on the iSite windows with QR codes linking to the website.