Local tourism operators will need to call on domestic visitors to keep the industry functioning following lockdown, says a Rotorua business operator.
Bruce Thomasen, co-founder of Redwoods Tree Walk, believes businesses will need to "reimagine" how tourism around New Zealand looks in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We've got this reset now of what does tourism look like and how do we make it add value to the community and to nature," he says.
According to Mr Thomasen, in Rotorua domestic visitors account for around 55 per cent of all business which he says should prompt companies to realign their focus on a domestic market.
Around a quarter of domestic travellers who visit the tourism hot spot of Rotorua come from Auckland, he says. With the borders still closed, this number could increase after lockdown.
"Potentially half of our vistors are going to come from Auckland. We need community and we need New Zealand to spend… that will give our industry the turn over it's going to need to keep moving."
He says key drives for Kiwi travellers such as "lakes, rivers and hot pools" are still open for tourists once the lockdown ends and will urge businesses with a largely international audience to change focus.
"All the things that excite Kiwis on a fun family holiday are still there. Those businesses may need to tweak a little bit of what they're offering to tailor it to more domestic [market]."
Once further restrictions begin to lift, such as travel from Australia, it should help support the industry as he says almost 40 per cent of international visitors are Australian, he says.
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