Rotorua

Queenstown hotels have been particularly battered in the last 12 months.

Kaitiaki Adventures will be able to redeploy up to 19 of its staff into Jobs for Nature projects.

YHA sells five hostels in what it says is a reflection of the distressed nature of the tourism industry.

2020 was not the first time that Rotorua’s tourism industry has had to adapt to circumstances out of its control.

Redwoods Treewalk and designer David Trubridge have launched their latest collaboration at the Rotorua attraction.

Ashpit and Brett Road campgrounds on the shores of Lake Rerewhakaaitu in Rotorua now require online bookings, as the Department of Conservation looked to manage the effects of increased domestic tourism the summer season. 

Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa – The Living Māori Village is now open again following a nine-month hibernation.

The attraction’s owner says the Rotorua destination will not need further support but sounds a warning over coming competition.

Rotorua tourism operators have come together to launch a new gift voucher initiative to promote the region to visitors.

Chuffed Gifts enabled recipients to ‘choose their own adventure’ so they could be sure they get exactly what they wanted. 

Waimangu Volcanic Valley has won the Build Back Better award at the Westpac Rotorua Business Awards.

Rotorua operators have been revamping their tourism offerings to improve the visitor experience.

The operator was up for the Resilience in Crisis award for its Māori-focused environmentally friendly water catcher.

Destination Rotorua’s Andrew Wilson on new research that shows how New Zealanders want to be treated when holidaying at home.

Te Puia has launched a free Kids Zone for the September/October school holidays.

But you can never say ‘never’, says CEO Geoff McDonald.

The road is an important tourism route, forming part of the Thermal Explorer Highway linking Rotorua with the Hawkes Bay, Lake Taupo, Ruapehu and Hamilton.

The family went to a number of tourism experiences in the city last weekend, including Skyline Rotorua’s gondola and luge.

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act 2020 has been passed by the House. 

While the southern ski fields saw better than expected numbers during the holidays, major North Island attractions also saw good attendance.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust will receive $2.5m from the Government’s $1.3bn Jobs for Nature fund, says conservation minister Eugenie Sage.

Rotorua will receive just over $2m in additional funding from the Provincial Growth Fund as part of a raft of new announcements from the Government last week.

Rotorua has overtaken Queenstown as the destination of choice for travellers, according to a new survey from NZ Pocket Guide.

Industry has to convince Kiwis our best experiences are worth the price, writes the Ticker’s Shannon Williams.

Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer on the prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit this week and how the city is extending a warm haere mai to New Zealanders.

“This will be crucial for towns such as Rotorua and Kaikoura, where the effects of Covid-19 will be particularly difficult due to loss of income from international tourism.”

The Covid-19 crisis may not have as severe an impact on the Bay of Plenty as other parts of New Zealand, says the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua will receive a $7.6m cash injection over two years as part of Budget 2020.

PM’s green-light for domestic travel from Thursday prompts wave of relief from operators, new campaign from RTOs, but warnings of the danger of further delays from TIA.

“We’ll be strongly encouraging Kiwis to support our tourism sector and to visit friends and family,” says Air NZ’s CEO.

The award-winning operator says operators will be doing themselves a disservice by heavy discounting.

The RTO is helping to cushion the economic and social impacts of Covid-19, says CEO Michelle Templer.

The former site of the SilverOaks Hotel Geyserland in Rotorua is for sale.

Each day we’ll bring you the views of an industry figure exploring new ways of working.

A new health and wellness spa at Rotorua will be built following a $17m funding injection into the region from the Provincial Growth Fund.

The first case of Covid-19 has been confirmed in Rotorua.

Destination Rotorua has proposed two new short-term campaigns to stimulate domestic demand as it bids for its share of $1m of government funding to offset the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The sovereign wealth fund has increased its exposure to NZ tourism with the purchase of the Holiday Inn.

Destination Rotorua has partnered with Christchurch Airport to adopt Chinese smartphone app Alipay in a bid to help Rotorua businesses be more successful in the Chinese market. 

Rotorua’s i-SITEs are the first in the country to assign staff members as responsible camping ambassadors, says Destination Rotorua.

The owner of Auckland’s Rainbow’s End and Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa has painted contrasting pictures for the two attractions in its latest interim results for the six months to September 2019.

A new waka experience will be launched this weekend on Lake Rotorua.

Destination Rotorua has hit back against recent negative headlines suggesting Rotorua has become a slum and a ‘dumping ground’ as moteliers open their doors as emergency accommodation.

The operator has posted a 7.7% increase in passenger numbers, as it ploughs ahead with a $4.4m upgrade.

Wellington, Rotorua and Queenstown hotel markets are delivering close to record revenue, says the agency.

The MD on 21 years of pioneering rides, the need for more local tourism investment, and the lack of support for the backpacker and youth sector.

The first stage of Rotorua’s $40m lakefront development will kick off at the end of October.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley has taken out the Excellence in Tourism Award at the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards, which took place at the Energy Event Centre last week.

Rafting NZ will use the money to train up to 20 new river guides for its Tongariro River business.

The former Destination Rotorua GM plans to tackle a number of industry issues if elected to council.