A new Benje Patterson report commissioned by RotoruaNZ that assesses the contribution of mountain biking to the Rotorua Lakes Economy shows that $103.4m was spent in Rotorua last year by visitors who visited for the sole purpose of mountain biking. Other visitors who mountain biked while staying in Rotorua for other reasons spent a further $36.4m, a total contribution of $139.8m to the local economy.
It was a pleasure to sit down with BusinessDesk for a Sharesies shared lunch. We talked in detail about the tourism recovery, with a strong focus on understanding how demand is returning, but that labour challenges remain a key threat to the recovery.
Benje Patterson assessed the economic impact of biking and mountain biking in Queenstown Lakes. The report showed that biking accounts for $157.6 million of spending and is already more than a third the size of the ski economy.
With borders reopening, it is interesting to take a look at whether early signs are pointing towards New Zealand gaining or losing residents and short-term visitors? The answer to date is that the signs are not yet clear.
One of the key things that the tourism industry is going to have to grapple with as borders reopen is how to right-size capacity, given the uncertain speed with which tourism will recover.
There is much more to me than my public persona as a well-known economist. Alongside being a proud father of three energetic pre-schoolers, I am also an avid outdoorsman and the number one fan of Arrowtown’s backcountry. More recently I have begun training for an epic 165-kilometre race through terrain showcased in the following article.
Changes in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as increased awareness about carbon emissions, may mean that New Zealand finds itself with an oversupply of convention centres.
It was a pleasure to talk to Andy Thompson on The Muster recently about politics, housing, and how the Trans-Tasman travel bubble help or hinder regional economies.
The Trans-Tasman bubble will not be a silver bullet for every tourism destination over the winter months. Put simply – many kiwi destinations may struggle to attract Aussie travellers during the colder months, and instead will miss out on New Zealanders who head to warmer destinations across the ditch.
With a two-way Trans-Tasman bubble set to kick off after more than a year of border closures, my mind has turned towards thinking how travel patterns may have evolved in the intervening time.
New Zealand’s export performance has been an enduring good news story. Incredibly, the expansion to the trade surplus during 2020 has more than offset the reduction of foreign visitor spending to date.
A potential New Zealand-Cook Islands travel bubble is a perpetual mirage on the horizon for kiwi travellers. The bubble would not just be a boon for kiwi sunseekers, but it could also be a $200m+ form of ‘soft aid’ that is a saviour of the Cook Islands economy.