Tourism in the King Country, by the figures

FIGURES presented at recent local council meetings paint a picture of tourism being an industry on the mend.

Both Waitomo and Ōtorohanga districts have seen a huge increase in international tourism figures since borders reopened, as represented in Hamilton and Waikato Tourism’s reports to the respective councils in the first quarter of this year.

International visitors contributed $3.5 million to Waitomo last year, a massive 609% increase from the year before.

In Ōtorohanga the numbers sit at $1.6 million and an increase of 275% compared to 12 months prior.

The data comes from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s records of tourism electronic card transactions. It shows international visitor spending in Waitomo increased markedly from November to December, from $2.6 million to $3.5 million.

Tourism was an industry hit hard by Covid-19 and the closure of New Zealand’s borders.

In 2021, then-chief executive of Hamilton and Waikato Tourism (HWT) Jason Dawson said places which traditionally relied on international tourism, including Waitomo, were most severely affected by border closures.

Ōtorohanga got close to its pre-pandemic peak of $2.9 million last year, but still has another $1.3 million to go until it’s back to that level.

Waitomo is still a long way off.

HWT chief executive Nicola Greenwell said Waitomo declined faster and harder than Ōtorohanga in the pandemic, so the district had more growth potential to rebound.

The $3.5 million income from international tourists was about a quarter of where it was sitting at the beginning of 2020 – $12 million.

Nicola said Ōtorohanga managed to retain a relatively steady spend across the pandemic.

Part of that was due to its positioning with its town centre on the state highway, with economic benefits coming from through traffic.

With nowhere to go overseas, many New Zealanders explored their own backyards.

Domestic visitors spent significantly more in Waitomo last year than the year before, with the total figure sitting at $34.6 million and an increase of 37.7%.

Ōtorohanga’s domestic visitor spending numbers have been more stable for the past two years, with a 3.7% increase last year for a total contribution of $17.2 million.

Domestic tourism expenditure data shows New Zealanders spent more money in both Ōtorohanga and Waitomo than they did before the pandemic.

Spending by New Zealanders in both districts peaked in February 2020, with $28.7 million for Waitomo and $14.9 million in Ōtorohanga, prior to the first Covid lockdown the following month.

By mid-2021, both districts had surpassed the pre-pandemic figure, though Waitomo was minimally so.

Ōtorohanga jumped up to $18.2 million in June 2021 while for Waitomo the figure was an increase of just $400,000 to $29.1 million.