Bay of Plenty tourist operators are increasingly opting into an industry focus on growing the low season arrivals market – and that’s an important development for the Bay.
Tourism NZ spokesman, Paul Ford, told Bay of Plenty Business News (BOPBN) that international tourism is already New Zealand’s second-largest export sector.
“International visitors spent $16.9 billion in New Zealand in the 12 months to March 2024. Note that 20 per cent of international tourists visited the Bay of Plenty, making it their fifth most visited region.”
As noted by RotoruaNZ chief executive, Andrew Wilson, Rotorua has long been known for its stunning natural landscapes and rich cultural experiences.
However, in its first major campaign under the Reset in Rotorua brand platform, the organisation has launched its Robe Trip initiative encouraging couples feeling tired and stressed to reset in the relaxation capital of Aotearoa.
“The Rotorua Robe Trip campaign was developed to showcase the fun, welcoming spirit of Rotorua in a way that felt fresh, relatable and uniquely ‘us’, Wilson confirmed to BOPBN.
“We wanted to encourage Kiwis to reconnect with the playful side of travel, to embrace slowing down, switching off and enjoying all the relaxing and rejuvenating experiences Rotorua has to offer [as a] world class spa and wellness destination. Robe Trip captured that spirit perfectly – it symbolises relaxation, spontaneity and a touch of good-natured Kiwi humour.”
Early signs from the campaign are encouraging.
“It has resonated particularly well with our Auckland target market,” Wilson said. “While full campaign data is still being collated, initial feedback suggests it has struck a chord and helped keep Rotorua top of mind, particularly in Auckland.”
The campaign is designed to position Rotorua as a luxurious and rejuvenating getaway for couples, helping drive domestic visitation to the region. It includes a welcome video – starring Rotorua Mayoress Tania Tapsell, and her not-so-official security detail ‘Barry.’
“It’s pretty incredible that, as a district of almost 80,000 people, we manage to host around three million visitors a year,” Tapsell said.
“Because of this, the tourism and hospitality industries provide the most jobs for locals. The past few years certainly were a challenge, but we went hard supporting the visitor economy and being smart about investment to get our city pumping again.
Robe Trip a hit for Rotorua
“We know we’re not the only destination trying to bring visitors back, so creative advertising such as the Robe Trip campaign, [plays] on the fact that many people are feeling stressed – we encourage them to come and enjoy a weekend of rest and relaxation.”
Tapsell confirms the campaign had been “a massive success” and had also resulted in new businesses opening recently. Internationally, Asia is one of the few markets yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“We’ve been strategic with our investment. I recently led a North Island road show to China with 20 businesses from Rotorua and Auckland including Auckland Airport, Wētā Workshop and accommodation and activity providers from Rotorua. We’re already seeing the benefits, but it’s been deeply concerning that other councils are not supporting, strategically, a key industry for all of New Zealand.
“Councils are very reliant on rates as their main income so, in Rotorua, we’ve created ways to reduce this burden on ratepayers and introduce new revenue through a new rating policy for short term accommodation such as Airbnbs. We then reinvest this straight back into marketing Rotorua.
“To ensure we have a steady flow of visitors all year, we’ve also restructured council operations to provide excellent and efficient services to those hosting events in Rotorua and using our venues,” said Tapsell. “We have a great team at RotoruaNZ helping attract conferences and also events, which are a real boost to us over the quieter winter months.”
Spectacular range
Paul Ford from Tourism NZ said: “Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty region have a spectacular range of experiences, adventures and activities frequently featured in our marketing collateral and across our social media channels.”
Tourism NZ has offices in Rotorua and Tauranga. It is focused on building the destination brand, attracting international visitors and promoting year-round travel that delivers significant economic benefits to New Zealand.
“Tourism NZ targets 15 markets where there is a significant number of people considering visiting New Zealand – Australia, US, China, UK, Germany, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand,” Ford confirmed.
The recent hosting of TRENZ 2025 (New Zealand’s largest international tourism event) is another key development signifying increasing development of the region’s tourism sector, Rotorua-NZ’s Andrew Wilson confirms. The event helps reinforce the region as a world class, must-visit location.
“Hosting TRENZ is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our innovation, manaakitanga (hospitality) and vibrancy to the international travel trade – we are proud to be entering this moment on such a strong footing.”
Growing off peak traffic
Tourism NZ is focused on growing off peak visitation to support sustainable and productive growth of tourism through the organisation’s strategy for 2024-2028, chief executive, René de Monchy, said.
“We’re aiming to grow international tourism by $5 billion over the next four years, with 70% ($3.5 billion) of that coming from visitors in the off-peak.”
With the government aiming to double export value in 10 years, tourism’s contribution can support exports and the economy as the industry faces tough economic conditions, de Monchy added.
“Tourism can provide a fast start to the goal of doubling exports as it can be achieved quicker than other sectors and has broader benefits for other sectors. Tourism New Zealand will support the government’s export growth goals and alleviate the industry’s seasonal visitation challenge by growing off peak visitation alongside its work to support peak visitation.”
