Business is booming in Whakatāne: 'Our numbers are as good as ever'

Some businesses in the Whakatāne region are expecting a bumper summer, as Kiwis holiday at home and explore their own backyard.

While businesses directly impacted by the Whakaari eruption have taken a big financial hit, others say with the borders closed and New Zealanders holidaying at home, they're busier than ever.

Julians Berry Farm owner and manager Paul Julian said Whakatāne was humming - and this summer could be their best summer yet.

"Post-covid, the traffic in Whakatāne has been at summer levels, and we're not at summer yet," he said.

"Our numbers are as good as ever, we've always had constant growth, but they're strong, very strong.

"Just New Zealanders staying and travelling in New Zealand - I think they're quite a powerful economic group."

Julian had been worried about a staff shortage heading into the berry picking season, with no international backpackers.

That has not come to fruition.

"We're certainly not desperate for staff, between university students, school students, random people, it's fine, completely fine."

Domestic visitors have always been the biggest tourism market for this part of the Bay of Plenty - in 2019 they made up 80 percent of the total visitor spend, according to figures from Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Kenny McCracken from KG Kayaks and Mighty Motu Bike Tours said that gave businesses like his reason to be optimistic - especially heading in to summer.

"What we've certainly found since we've been able to move around [after lockdown], is a lot of people are coming here because it's one of those places they've never been to before," he said.

"I'm hoping that we're creating such a positive impression that they won't just be one-off visitors, they'll actually return."

McCracken said there were good signs already.

"We also run a bed and breakfast and we've been inundated with enquiries to the point we keep it closed because we can't possibly clean that much."

Over in Ohope, Beachpoint Apartments manager Felicity Johl said while the eruption didn't have a big impact on their bookings.

"Unlike some of the motels in town, where people will come directly for the purposes of going out to White Island, we have people mainly coming on holiday, and may go to White Island."

The Covid-19 lockdown in March was a different story.

"It was beautiful in that we had this beautiful place all to ourselves, but we were fully booked, so we just had 100 percent cancellations."

Johl said they had been much busier than usual over the last few months - even in the typically quiet month of November.

She suspected that with people unable to take their usual overseas trips, they were opting to explore their own backyard, and bookings for summer were looking good - completely booked from before Christmas through to mid-January with more bookings coming in.

"We're hoping that it's going to be a really good summer and New Zealanders are all going to be at home in New Zealand, so they want somewhere nice to go," Johl said.

"And what better place than come to the beach?"