11 May 2017
Mayor to advocate for Rotorua at annual tourism trade show

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick will advocate for ongoing investment in the district when she attends New Zealand’s annual tourism trade show TRENZ in Auckland this week.

The mayor will attend a key stakeholder function at the annual tourism trade show, being hosted in Auckland this year and managed by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) on behalf of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust.

Deals worth tens of millions of dollars to the New Zealand economy are expected to be negotiated during the four-day event which is attended by more than 300 New Zealand tourism operators, more than 370 trade and tourism buyers from 29 countries and journalists from around the world.

While the trade show is an important opportunity for our local industry to promote and sell our tourism offerings, the stakeholder function is a chance to converse with those who make decisions that affect tourism, Mayor Chadwick says.

“I’ll have the opportunity to speak with central and local government representatives and business leaders so it’s important to be there to have these important conversations.

“We’ve recently refocussed our destination marketing to spread the benefits of tourism across the year, rather than having the traditional peak and low seasons. The tourism growth we’ve been experiencing is great for the economy but it also brings with it challenges and puts pressure on services and infrastructure like roads.

“We’re working with the likes of NZTA on some roading solutions but ongoing central government investment will be crucial to ensuring Rotorua can continue to cater for our visitors, particularly given the importance of Rotorua to New Zealand’s tourism offering,” the mayor says.

A recently released National Tourism Infrastructure Assessment identified visitor accommodation as the highest priority infrastructure needed to support future tourism growth in New Zealand. Other priorities identified were telecommunications, airport facilities, road transport, car parking, toilets and water and sewerage systems.

“Addressing these gaps will require us to work together with central government and the tourism industry,” Mayor Chadwick says. “The TRENZ function is a chance to advocate for support for Rotorua as we strive to continue to be an outstanding visitor destination.”

Tourism in Rotorua – by the numbers

Annual visitor spend over $770m($402m domestic, $370m international)
Last year $70m spent by Australians and $63m by visitors from China
3.7 million visitor nights in 2016 - 57% domestic, 43% international (2.2m nights in commercial accommodation, 1.5m in homes)
More than 3 million visits to Rotorua attractions and activities in 2016 (69% international, 31% domestic)
More than 1354 business events (conferences etc) in 2016
About 18% of our workforce is employed in tourism, compared to 8% NZ
Events that attract visitors include Crankworx - estimated $8m economic boost in 2016 ($4m in 2015) – still waiting on 2017 report

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