Strong accommodation statistics confirm an upswing in the Whakatāne District’s popularity as a tourism destination, particularly with overseas visitors.

Compared to the same month in 2014, Statistics New Zealand reports that total December guest nights in the Whakatane and Kawerau Districts rose by 8.5 percent to 29,678. That included a 9.5 percent increase in international guest nights, while domestic guest nights rose by 8.3 percent. The average length of stay also rose slightly, from 2.4 to 2.43 nights.

Results for the calendar year again showed significant gains, with total guest nights up by 4.3 percent (to 232,908), international guest nights rising by 5.5 percent, and domestic guest nights up by 4.1 percent.

Whakatāne Mayor Tony Bonne says those positive outcomes reflect the ongoing efforts of tourism operators and national and regional tourism promotion organisations to lift the profile of the area.

“Increasing awareness of attractions like White Island, Ōhope Beach and Mōtū Trails is certainly bearing fruit for this area, and with some major new events planned in 2016, we can look forward to further gains in visitor numbers and guest nights,” he says. “Tourism already contributes more than $80 million to our local economy, so it’s likely that these gains will also produce some positive outcomes for employment, which is a key driver for our investment in District promotion activities.”

Whakatāne District Council Business Services Manager Roslyn Mortimer says the fact that the local outcomes for December were well above the national averages is particularly encouraging.

“Nationally, guest nights in December rose by 6.2 percent and international guest nights were up by 6.0 percent, which indicates that our targeted tourism promotion activities are getting some real traction,” she says. “Together with Tourism Bay of Plenty, we’ll be working hard to make sure those numbers keep heading in the right direction.”