The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa at Rotorua’s Rainbow Springs Nature Park has seen a substantial increase in brown kiwi chicks but a big fall in visitor numbers since the pandemic struck.
With the international market drying up, tourism and event company MDA Experiences decided to go back to it roots as a community driven operator.
Bookings jump for operators like The Rees while others breathe a sigh of relief but all seek more details to help plan for Auckland’s return.
Tauhara North Tourism has appointed Kiri Atkinson-Crean its head of tourism.
Ngai Tahu’s Agrodome attraction in Rotorua is re-opening its doors after being in hibernation for the past 18 months.
The pandemic has forced cultural attractions like Te Puia to make changes with a new approach taken towards domestic visitors.
The loss of the Waikato market will whittle down already slim pickings for operators in neighbouring regions, already bracing for an absent Auckland market.
Ngāi Tahu Tourism has appointed David Blackmore to lead the operator’s Agrodome attraction in Rotorua.
Attractions are resetting their school holiday expectations with Aucklanders absent.
A $400k STAPP grant is the only reason the attraction is open, says MD Simon Short.
The addition of the hotel, which is part of the Choice Hotels group, will bring 85 rooms to the system.
Tamaki Māori Village in Rotorua plans to re-launch its evening cultural experience on 1 December, partly in anticipation of a quick return of Australian visitors once borders re-open.
Air traffic control services will be retained at Rotorua Airport following the results of a review by the Civil Aviation Authority, says Airways New Zealand.
The Novotel & Ibis Auckland Ellerslie will from today become a contingency quarantine facility able to take any overflow of Covid-19 positive community cases stemming from the Delta outbreak.
Cultural attractions are suffering but one operator has found a path forward, managing to boost domestic visitor numbers above pre-Covid levels.
Six individuals and 23 tourism businesses and organisations have made the shorlist.
Queenstown is the only centre lagging on most hotel indicators.
Former Destination Rotorua general manager Oscar Nathan has taken the top job at Tourism Bay of Plenty.
Rotorua is launching a campaign to focus on the identity of the region and the people who live there.
Funds tagged for exhibition use, as well as earthquake strengthening due to start next year.
Rainbow’s End has not felt the same impact from border closures as Polynesian Spa, says owner Rangatira.
Skyline Enterprises will not pay a dividend for FY21 as uncertainty around return of international visitors remains.
The regions of Waikato, Rotorua, Taupō, and Ruapehu will produce a total of 15 events across the area with an initial round of funding worth $1.6m from the Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund (REF).
Personalised board game produced with trivia questions about each family that buys it.
Key meetings attended by tourism minister Stuart Nash since taking up the portfolio in November 2020 include those with various taskforce bodies, local councils and industry representatives.
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.
