The Whakatāne District is experiencing strong tourism growth, with the number of international visitors in particular continuing to show significant increases.

Latest figures for the year ending November 2016 show international guest nights rose by an exceptional 57%, to 54,225, with total guest nights (including domestic) rising 11% to 257,113. Whakatāne District Council Business Services Manager Roslyn Mortimer says that with nearly 50% of visitor spending going into the retail and hospitality sectors, this was great news for the local economy.

“International visitors are often attracted to Whakatāne by the opportunity to visit White Island (Whakaari), but they are now staying overnight to visit other attractions and enjoy more of what the District has to offer,” Ms Mortimer says. “That means there is definitely room for existing tourism operators to enhance their products and for new tourism ventures to enter the market.

“All indications are that we can look forward to continued growth in this sector, with anecdotal feedback confirming that there were good domestic visitor numbers over the December/January peak, and strong international visitor arrivals expected through February, March and April.”