Hawke’s Bay Facing Bumper Tourism Season

With Hawke’s Bay facing its busiest summer on record, tourism organisations are making efforts to ensure overcrowding does not dampen the public perception of the industry. Regional Tourism New Zealand (RTNZ) is cautioning the tourism sector not to become complacent in its management of tourism growth even though more New Zealanders agree international tourism is good for New Zealand. The latest Mood of the Nation research shows 95 per cent of New Zealanders agree international tourism is good. RTNZ executive officer Charlie Ives said that was a good result but the sector must not become complacent. “Regional Tourism Organisations [RTOs] exist because regions see benefit in attracting visitors to them. For many years regional tourism promotion was all about growing visitor numbers and it’s understandable that some communities might have felt overwhelmed by visitors at times. Photo: Cruise liner Ovation of the Seas docked at Napier Port. Photo / Warren Buckland For more on this and other great Hawke’s Bay stories go to hawkesbaytoday.co.nz Posted: 23 December 2018