Image: Sea Cave Adventures

Hauraki Coromandel tourism operators pragmatic over summer visitor numbers

Despite uncertainty over pre-season bookings, tourism businesses in The Coromandel have been relieved to see peak holiday visitors return in good number, with the busiest December in the last 3 years.

Travel to the region following the easing of restrictions for Aucklanders in mid December provided a welcome respite to tourism, hospitality and retail businesses, with an increase in visitor numbers when compared to the previous year. There was an average of 39,132 domestic visitors for every day of December, compared to an average of 30,580 daily visitors in December 2020. The total population, including local residents, for each day in December was, on average, 93,388 compared to 78,858 the previous year.

Numbers for most other months in 2021 were down on 2020. Domestic visitor numbers increased markedly from 39,246 on Christmas Day to a peak of 79,311 on New Year's Day, up on 58,533 on January 01, 2021. Since then daily numbers have been declining, with Sunday January 09 back down to 33,930, signalling the end of the busiest time as noted by local businesses.

There is some upside, however, as Ash Lambert from Sea Cave Adventures explains. "We love being able to manaaki people from around New Zealand and show them our back yard. It's more valuable to us than people from overseas in some ways. We often find out that our grandads were friends back in the day, and we all end up friends at the end of the trip. Some families come out every year, in fact one family just booked again for next year, that will be the third in a row. I feel like we've been pretty blessed so far, out on the water."

Like other eco tour businesses in Hauraki Coromandel, education and protection of the environment is a key message that Sea Cave Adventures crew shares with guests. Timing of such messages couldn’t be better with water usage top of mind for the region. In addition to widespread water restrictions, water usage is becoming a bigger issue with the increase in the number of vehicles and boats. Using environmentally friendly products and washing boats and cars on the lawn, rather than the roadside or driveway is a simple individual change that collectively has an impact. This prevents detergents, fuel residue and debris washing into storm water drains and the very ocean that attracts people to live in and visit The Coromandel.

Destination Coromandel has launched the second phase of the Where Kiwis Holiday marketing campaign to encourage travel and spend over the entire summer holiday period. A third phase will commence soon, with the aim of increasing travel through March and into Easter.

ENDS

Destination Coromandel:
The Regional Tourism Organisation for Thames Coromandel and Hauraki Districts.

Hadley Dryden, General Manager
hadley@thecoromandel.com
021 227 4387

www.thecoromandel.com