Weather should see visitor numbers up

Northland tourism operators are hoping for a reprieve this season following a devastating washout last summer.

Northland's tourism success was often dictated by the weather, said Northland Tourism Development Group chairman and Whangarei district councillor Jeroen Jongejans.

"Northland is pretty seasonal. Unfortunately, what happened last year is we had a really bad summer so that affected a lot of outdoor activities - there was lots of rain, lots of wind, lots of easterlies."

Mr Jongejans said he was hoping for an improvement this year and weather predictions were that "it should be better".

Unfortunately, a change in the patterns of the international tourism market had meant fewer European visitors were coming to the country, he said.

"There is basically a major shift happening in the market - the two big ones for us [this season] will be Australia and Asia."

Those who were coming to Northland were also staying for shorter periods of time and embarking on fewer activities, Mr Jongejans said.

About 10 per cent of Northland's population was employed in the tourism sector - which contributed "significantly" to the local economy, he said.

In all, tourism generated about $1.5 million daily for the local economy.

Northland's accommodation occupancy rate (excluding holiday parks) was 29.7 per cent in September, according to Statistics New Zealand.

The highest occupancy rate in the past year in Northland was in February, at 56.7 per cent.

Northland featured nine times in AA Tourism's 101 Must-Do's for Kiwis list with the Wairere Boulders in Horeke, Cape Reinga, Bay of Islands, Ninety Mile Beach, Waipoua Forest, Matapouri Bay, Tutukaka/Poor Knights, Glenbervie Adventure Forest and Karikari Peninsula all securing spots.

More Aucklanders had been coming to Northland for a quick getaway, Mr Jongejans said.

The region's top attractions remained the environment, water, islands, kauri, landscapes, seascapes, the Bay of Islands and the region's history, he said.

Whangarei had recently been vying to establish itself as a destination in the lucrative cruise ship market.

"We're doing some serious work on that and hopefully we'll have some releases on that and some possible progress in the next couple of months," he said. The National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml) recently suggested marijuana liberalisation could be a boon for tourism in the region. The view was not supported by regional tourism leaders.