Hutt City enjoys busy first quarter of events and tourism activity

Lower Hutt has enjoyed a strong start to 2015 with an increase in visitors and retail spending, a vibrant events calendar and an increased tourism profile.
Indications from quarterly Marketview figures show that large scale events in the city during the summer months had strong benefits for CBD retailers.

The figures show that an estimated $750,000 of additional retail expenditure was generated in Hutt City during the three Phoenix game days this summer. This is in addition to money spent by fans at the games, other non-retail expenditure and the exposure generated by matches being televised throughout Australasia.

CBD retailers enjoyed a 28% increase in spending during the first Wellington Phoenix match on Saturday 14 February, when compared to the same Saturday a year prior.

Matt Reid, General Manager Community Services, said that the impact of events over summer has exceeded expectations.

"These events showcased our city and provided the opportunity for the entire community to be involved. The additional expenditure of visitors and locals during this period was a very positive by-product of bringing the games here."
Hutt City Council's Visitor Market Development Manager, James Lamb says that recent commercial accommodation figures from Statistics New Zealand show that summer events translated into increased guest stays.

Lower Hutt enjoyed an 11% spike in visitor guest nights in January, a 22% increase in guest nights in February and a 10% increase in guest nights in March.

"This is a brilliant start for 2015, in fact, the best start we have had in nearly a decade. February and March are historically strong months for international visitors, and with the Rimutaka Cycle Trail being named one of 2015's hottest travel experiences by Lonely Planet right at the start of year, there was much more interest from media and trade groups this summer."

Indications from those in the accommodation sector show that corporate bookings remain strong, and Hutt City experienced an influx of people staying for the Cricket World Cup, Phoenix matches and other major events.

Marketview information also shows that retail spending from January - March 2015 throughout Lower Hutt rose 3.3% compared to the same quarter in 2014.
The CBD enjoyed a 4.0% rise in spending, while areas outside the CBD experienced a 2.7% rise in retail spend.

ENDS

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