Whakatāne is officially ‘Motorhome-Friendly’ following a ceremony at the Whakatāne District Council today. New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lochore presented Mayor Tony Bonne with the official certification, together with $5000 in funding to improve local motorhome facilities. Mr Lochore said he expected the District’s motorhome-friendly status would deliver a healthy boost to tourism spending in the area.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Mr Lochore says. “For Whakatāne, official recognition as Motorhome-Friendly will encourage more of our members and international visitors to stop, stay and spend, and for motorhomers, your status is a clear indication that they can expect a warm welcome and will find an appropriate level of facilities.”

“At a time when tourism in this country is enjoying an unprecedented boom, I believe it is vital that the benefits are not confined to the traditional tourist ‘hotspots’, but are shared with Councils and communities nationwide,” Mr Lochore says. “That’s why the NZMCA has spent close to a million dollars and committed significant resources over the past three years to encourage our members – and other motorhome tourists – to get off the beaten track in their travels.”

Mayor Bonne thanked Mr Lochore for the certification and contribution, and said he looked forward to an ongoing relationship with NZMCA. “Motorhome-Friendly status offers significant economic benefits to participating communities by attracting more NZMCA members and other tourists in Certified Self-Contained vehicles,” he says. “The NZMCA has 69,000 individual members and by becoming a certified location, Whakatāne is promoted on the organisation’s purpose-built website and also via its popular member magazine, The Motor Caravanner, so this is an incredibly good way to promote our District.”